Ruby: The Path Ends
by FriendlyCurse
Summary: This is the conclusion of Ruby: A Different Path. Things did not go as planned and now Ruby must deal with the consequences.
1. Chapter 1

Ruby's eyes opened as her body convulsed.

"She's awake, turn it off." An unfamiliar voice said from somewhere nearby. She felt like she'd just run a marathon then fell off a mountain. Her head was fuzzy and concentrating on anything was nearly impossible.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Another person asked warily. "Shouldn't she be restrained?"

"Shut the hell up and do your job." Snapped a very familiar voice.

"Yang?" Ruby whispered. Her throat was dry and she sounded strange.

"She's okay!" Yang virtually shouted as she pulled Ruby into an impossibly tight hug.

"Where am I?" She asked as she opened her eyes. "And why do you look... old?"

"Hey!" Yang protested, though there was no real anger in her words and she was still smiling. "That's mean."

It might have been mean but it was accurate. It was so strange to see this person that looked a bit like her sister but more mature. She was still trying to figure out what might have happened when memories began to surface. "Professor Ozpin..."

"It's 'Overlord Ozpin' now." A deep voice chimed in. She turned to the new person and blinked. It took her brain a moment to process both the information and the one who said it.

"Dove?" He looked so different! Older, like Yang, but scarred as if he'd been in a lot of fights. His armor was different, too, heavier looking and in need of some repairs. "What's going on?"

"You've been in a coma for nine years, Ruby." Yang said, still clinging tightly to her hand. "They hid you but we finally got you back!"

"Yeah... He injected me with something... Didn't anyone notice something was wrong?" She asked, hurt. Nine years?

"They said it was some kind of reaction to one of the new medications coupled with the shock you suffered that night." Dove said, shaking his head. "We visited often at first, hoping to figure out a way to bring you out of it."

She closed her eyes, trying to block out the memories of Torchwick, of Cardin, of Ozpin...

"Then things got bad. " Yang sighed. "Chaos broke out and you disappeared."

"Why didn't he just kill me?" She asked. It would have been so easy and they had been trying before that night.

"You killed Torchwick, one of those at the front of his operation." She looked up and gasped. It was Professor Goodwitch but she was barely herself. Stress and worry lines etched her face, her eyes glowed with dust enhancement and both of her arms seemed to be melded with robotic parts, there were weapons fused with her flesh. "If he killed you it would have made you a martyr and given people the boost they needed to fight. Instead you just quietly disappeared. You were used as a distraction while he moved forward faster. Somewhere along the way he got more ambitious, his plans changed and now he is in control of all the Kingdoms."

"No one fought back?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"Oh, many fought but he was clever and had a lot of connections. He used his position as Headmaster of Beacon to gather information on all past and present hunters, manipulating or killing as needed until the majority were loyal to him. He won the backing of the faunus and the most of them gladly killed humans wherever he said to. There were enough crooked people in the government that before too long he had them under his thumb as well."

"Now he IS the government. He controls the weapons, the dust, the police, the hunters, the food... even some of the Grimm." Dove scowled. "All 'true citizens' have implants that allow them to be tracked."

"So where are we?" Ruby asked after a moment.

"Hidden in an underground base he hasn't found yet." Yang said with a faint smile. "Most of the rebellion can fit in this compound. It's owned by the Schnee company, they have been the only ones who really spoke out. They were able to sneak a lot of people to safety but it hasn't been easy."

"Wasn't one of your teammates a Schnee?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, Weiss. She's been great... even though most of her family has been killed. She's faster than the assassins." Yang laughed. "More than one returned not only empty-handed but handless."

"She _has_ become rather... quirky." Goodwitch said with some distaste.

"Dark times call for a dark sense of humor. Who am I to discourage her?" Yang grinned. "I bet you're starving! Let's go get something to eat!"

Ruby realized she _was_, she had just been too distracted to think about her empty stomach. Now that it had been pointed out she couldn't stop thinking of food. She swung out of bed and stumbled before standing. Everything seemed just a bit off in her balance. A glance down showed that her proportions were considerably different from what she remembered.

"Careful," Dove grinned. "Electrical stimulation kept your muscles from becoming atrophied but you'll still be weak for a while. There was only so much we could do without you being awake."

"Yeah..." She said, taking careful steps. The floor was a lot farther away than she was used to, as well.

Yang stayed close as she stumbled down the hall to the cafeteria. A few others were there but not many. Most looked like tired scientists on break. Aside from a lack of windows, it looked like a normal building. Yang explained that it had been built in the Schnee company's golden years and had been a facility for top secret experimentation. There was a large store of dust as well as some technology that had not been shared with the public when Ozpin made his move. They had an underground farm to assure fresh food, medical facilities, housing, and training areas set up in old labs.

After eating Dove and Yang took her to one of the training rooms to start her rehab. They protested the whole way but she insisted. The world had fallen apart and she was helpless when they needed all the help they could get.

They were passing through one of the main halls when Dove made a warning sound and Yang tensed. A man and woman were walking the opposite direction but the man froze as he noticed them.

It took Ruby a moment to recognize him. She smiled, moving forward faster. "Sky?"

He did not return the smile, didn't move. She slowed to a stop and her smile faded. Everything in his stance and expression said he was angry but his eyes held only a deep pain. "You deserted us. You broke your promise."

"I'm sorry..." She said softly. Maybe things would have gone better with them there... Maybe Cardin would have lived. Tears welled up again at that thought.

"We needed you."

"I'm sorry..." However many times she said the words she knew they would never be enough. He had every right to be angry with her, she _had_ betrayed their trust.

He took a breath to say something more but Yang got between them. "Nora, get him out of here before I beat the crap out of him."

The girl nodded and pulled him by quickly. Once he was gone Yang wrapped an arm around her and half carried Ruby the rest of the way while she cried, clinging to her sister. So many terrible things had happened and so much of it was her fault!

"It's alright, Ruby." Dove said once they were sitting in the training room. "He's just selfish and angry that he wasn't strong enough to make as big a difference as he hoped in the wars."

"He's right!" She wailed. "I should have taken my team! Or just waited! It was stupid and I should have known better after making the same mistake once before! If you two had been with me Cardin might still be alive!"

"Maybe... but if things had been different I wouldn't have Mezza." He said tossing her a towel to wipe her eyes.

"Mezza?" Ruby asked, glad for the much needed distraction. "Where is she?"

"Home with our daughter." He grinned. "Things have been bad but there has been some good to come out of it, too."

"Really? You have a _kid_?" She couldn't help but smile, it was hard to think of either of them as being old enough to have kids of their own.

"Rose is seven now." Dove nodded. "She's already an ambitious, scrappy little thing, too. Mezza is regretting teaching her acrobatics. It's hard to get her to go to bed when she can reach the vents on the ceiling. Once she's there you aren't likely to get her loose until she is good and ready to come down."

Ruby laughed, and enjoyed a moment of actually feeling good. They named her Rose...

"You'll have to meet her later. For now we need to get you back in shape to handle a weapon. I doubt you could even effectively threaten a steak with the best knife in the building." Yang said. Ruby stuck her tongue out at her sister but it wasn't as much of an exaggeration as she would have liked. Just the walk to the training room had left her tired.

"Hey... what happened to Professor Goodwitch?" She asked, it had been bothering her since she saw the state her old teacher was in. She was one of the best huntresses Ruby knew of and seeing her like that was a shock.

"She had it worse than most." Yang sighed. "She's still punishing herself for it. Ozpin is a great actor and even though she was one of the people closest to him when he was Headmaster of Beacon, he had her completely fooled. It took a long time for her to realize what was going on. She believed he was really fighting against the White Fang and the gangs running rampant but he was sending her out to deal with distractions. She never has said what it was that tipped her off but when she learned the truth she turned on him."

"He almost killed her." Dove nodded. "Some of the resistance members found her and thought they were taking his second in command captive after a lucky break. When she regained consciousness they didn't even have time to demand she tell them what she knew, she told them everything she could as quickly as she could and insisted they not let her anywhere near a resistance base until she had been checked for anything that might track her. Once she convinced them of the sincerity of her decision to change sides, she stood right next to Yang and led the charge against Ozpin. She didn't know as much as we needed her to, but it was enough to start making a little progress."

"Fat lot of good that's done." Yang grumbled. "It's been nothing but 'a little progress' for a long time now. She's done everything she can to help, volunteering for anything that may give her an edge no matter how experimental or uncertain. She blames herself for a lot of this and no one can convince her otherwise."

"That's so sad…" Ruby sighed, wiping at her face again now that the tears were finally drying up. Laying blame didn't seem to be doing anyone any good. She had to _do_ something. "Yang, I need to know everything that's happened since I disappeared. Can you get that information together? It'll take a while for me to get back in shape so I can study that when I'm not working. I guess Sky isn't likely to help but I'm sure there are others I can spar with until I get my reflexes back. We're going to fix this somehow… he can't be invincible."


	2. Chapter 2

It was hard to maintain a positive outlook over the next few weeks. There was a lot to catch up on and it seemed like everything she learned added another brick to the growing wall between her and hope.

Ozpin had built a formidable empire over the years. The vast majority of the faunus were on his side since they were now treated not only as equals but were even granted special considerations. He had started small with the seemingly disorganized gangs taking over sections of the cities around Vale. Once an area was secured he determined who lived and worked there using people like Torchwick as his mouthpiece. Those who resisted 'disappeared'. Faunus were always given first choice of new homes in each area and inevitably ended up with better housing than the humans. Thugs and police both worked under his command, though neither knew it at first. Both were ordered to punish humans who resisted the new way.

Within a few years he controlled Vale and had similar movements beginning quietly in other places. He blackmailed, bribed and connived his way around using various people to prevent anyone from noticing everything was being controlled by one insane puppetmaster. According to Ms. Goodwitch, he genuinely believed what he was doing was for the greater good and that scared her more than anything. It made him far more dangerous.

When she made it known that he was the one pulling all the strings there was a violent confrontation throughout all the kingdoms but it was too late. He had more control than most realized. In the few places he did not control those in command, he had the loyalty of most of their followers. The revolt lasted less than two weeks. That was when the implants began. Those not willing to bow to a madman quickly rallied behind the only ones left who spoke against Overlord Ozpin. The Schnee company retained its voice, though all those remaining were in hiding. They had enough knowledge to use the media to their advantage, hacking into anything with a monitor or speaker to encourage people to fight back, to keep hoping, keep trying, keep fighting.

Most of those who didn't give up were taken to one of the small 'bases' to have their implants removed and make sure they weren't spies. There were such bases but few people had made it this far. It was only those they were absolutely sure they could trust they brought to this compound. There were less than three hundred people in this massive place. At one time that would have been considered a skeleton crew by the Schnee company.

Ruby sighed as she skimmed the directory. So few people she knew… and she didn't see her uncle's name. Her heart sank and she debated whether to ask Yang about him, scared of what she might say.

It took almost a month for her to get back to a useful state. During the early weeks her free time was spent aching so badly she could barely move as the surviving teachers gave her three years worth of lessons compacted down to what mattered now. That was determined mostly by what Grimm Ozpin had 'tamed' and was using against the resistance.

He had a number of hunters now trained as their handlers, herding them toward known enemies of the empire. They roamed freely in the no man's land outside the walled cities. Anyone caught harming them would be subject to a slow public death. However much that may rankle older hunters, they obeyed.

Yang didn't. One of her favorite methods of blowing off steam became killing Ozpin's pet Grimm. It was dangerous, though, and the others had to step in numerous times to get her away from the huntsmen loyal to the Overlord.

She cheerfully told Ruby all about it as she recounted the origins of the many scars over meals. While Ruby was proud of her sister, she was worried, too. There was an almost desperate wildness in her eyes, the kind that spoke of the likelihood of her taking unnecessary risks and dying young.

Once she was getting around easily Dove and Mezza brought Rose to meet her. She instantly loved the little girl. Ruby had flashbacks to her own youth just watching her bounce around asking rapid fire questions while telling her everything that she could think to say in as few breaths as possible.

Her mother only got her to sort of calm down by suggesting she show Ruby what she had learned. She finally loosened the surprisingly strong grip that had her firmly attached to Ruby's back and dashed toward her father. She stopped just out of reach as he drew his sword.

The little girl was suddenly still as he took a sparring stance. She reached up to brush her long, bright blue hair away from her face and with an almost unnatural speed the little bracelet around one wrist was holding her hair in a ponytail and twin daggers appeared in her hands. Ruby glanced at Mezza to see the proud smile. It was a good, unnerving trick.

Her jaw dropped as Dove took a step and Rose disappeared. She was wondering whether the girl had somehow inherited her semblance along with the name when she started to pick up on what was happening. Rose had been training all her life and had unusually strong muscles. She was moving fast and incorporating acrobatic movements to remain unpredictable. Even Dove was having trouble and he knew what to expect!

Both of them were holding training weapons, they were blunt and left streaks of color to show strikes. By the time Mezza called an end, Dove was covered in streaks of blue while Rose had only three streaks of red on her arms. From past fights with Dove she was sure he hadn't thrown the match.

"That was amazing!" Ruby exclaimed as the little girl beamed under the praise.

"Let's go get cleaned up, huh?" Dove smiled proudly at his daughter.

"Race you!" She shouted and took off running. He sprinted after her but Ruby doubted he'd catch up.

"I can't believe she's such a great fighter already..." Ruby said, sitting down. Just watching had left her exhausted.

"There is no other choice." Mezza said sadly. "We are safe here but we can't live in this place forever. We need to know that when the time comes she will be able to protect herself. For now it's just a game to her and we hope it always remains fun... but realistically I have to accept that someday she will be fighting for her life. Already she can face challenges we would fail. That offers some of the only comfort I have."

"I want to tell you not to worry but I don't think I can." Ruby sighed and hugged Mezza. "You guys are doing great, though. She's wonderful!"

"Thanks." She smiled, returning the hug.

After that Rose was never too far away. Ruby had to scold her to get the girl to attend classes without sneaking away but finally, after threatening not to spar anymore, the girl agreed to behave.

It took weeks of practice with the lighter training scythe before Yang would let her have a real weapon. Even so it wasn't the same. They had no idea where hers had been stored while she was comatose and getting her out was difficult enough without tracking down Crescent Rose. Yang assured her that Weiss would let her use the labs and dust to make a new weapon and while she was sure it was true the idea made her nervous. She had only seen the girl a couple times and she had never met anyone so intense. She was pretty sure the woman didn't like her.

With some experience and a better idea of what she was up against, she gladly set to designing her new weapon. It would be a lot like the old one but with a few modifications. It would be able to launch dust grenades as well as the more precise sniper shots. There were also special electrified net grenades made to be launched when dealing with multiple Grimm. It wouldn't stop them but it would buy time.

Her favorite addition was suggested by the very grumpy Schnee girl - a laser. It was a narrow beam that wouldn't chop people up like they did in movies but it could cause a lot of pain, start a fire and, with time, _could_ remove extremities. It would cauterize as it went to prevent reattaching the parts later. She suggested ears and noses.

Once she finished building it she had to name it. That had been the hardest part of the whole process. She was still thinking while she spun the perfectly balanced weapon during practice. It was nice to have the heft of a real weapon again.

One of the things that bothered her the most was knowing that Beacon was gone. The school had been destroyed in the wars. The only way to get that quality of education now was to accept an implant and work for Ozpin. The rebellion lacked the resources for full classes but the younger folks were learning better combat skills than Ozpin would dare teach his people.

"Crescent Beacon." She decided. Whether she liked it or not, she was looked up to as the first student to risk everything to fight back. She gambled and lost but survived and came back ready to try again. Yang had told her that morale was improving and people were pushing to get better again.

She didn't see much herself since she mostly kept to herself in the labs. It wasn't that she wanted to avoid people, she had been advised by the others to minimize contact until she was back to her regular state of health. Again, it had to do with morale. Everyone knew she was back and recuperating but it would be better for them to see her go from the frail, scrawny victim to a strong, determined warrior without the steps between. It made sense but it was lonely.

She had a few of her friends and the medical staff to talk to, of course, but there were others out there. Of course that was where Sky stayed, too. He had avoided her part of the compound entirely and refused to answer any notes she sent.

Dove told her a bit about what had happened with Sky after she left. He had been more upset than the others because he had a bit of a crush on her at the time. He never said anything because he didn't want to cause tension or get in a fight with Cardin. His bitterness and anger grew as time passed and everything went wrong. He lost his family in the war and almost died, himself. Nora had saved him and the two became inseparable. Both had lost everyone that mattered to them and apparently she liked quiet men. He was glad she didn't push him to be more talkative and enjoyed her determined efforts to make people happy in the darkest of times.

He was sure Sky would forgive her eventually but for now his long-smoldering anger was resurfacing. He suggested she just not think about it but she couldn't just _forget_ that one of her best friends hated her.

With Crescent Beacon compacted at her side she set off to find Sky. The task was more difficult than she expected since he didn't want to be found and there were a number of people who knew that. By the time she got wherever he was seen someone had sent him elsewhere. Finally Ruby changed tactics and tracked down Nora.

"I need to talk to him." She said bluntly to the stubborn girl with the blaze of orange hair.

"He's upset enough." Her customary smile was missing and there was no cheer visible in her turquoise eyes. Yang and Dove had both talked about how good she'd been for him because of her constant cheerful friendliness. They both told her how much she'd like Nora but right now it was like she was meeting someone else entirely. "He looked up to you as both his leader and his friend. You broke that promise after getting hurt so bad, you went after the same guy alone. The broken promise was bad and really hurt him but the part I don't think he will ever be able to get over, the one thing you can't make up for, is that you went alone to fight people who genuinely wanted to kill you knowing you wouldn't be coming back. No amount of apologies can make up for something like that. You didn't just get beat in a fight and trapped by the enemy that night. You failed a suicide attempt. You walked out on your team even though you _knew_ they needed you. They needed your support as much as your strength."

Ruby fought back the rising tears and shook her head. "And if I took them? Would you be happier if they had gotten killed in all that? I was barely able to keep myself alive… I only managed because Cardin died in my place. If they had been with me we would have had to fight in a less strategic place and they would have overwhelmed us. We would all be dead. Is that what would make you happy?"

"You would have survived with their help." She insisted.

"Just like everyone else survived the wars?" She snapped, her frustration getting the better of her. She knew instantly that it was the stupidest thing she could have said when Nora stepped back as if she'd been punched. A brief expression of agony seemed to flash across her features to be replaced by fury.

Her slight frame trembled in rage as she started to respond but never got more than one word out before changing her mind on what to say. Her hand moved to her weapon and Ruby tensed, resisting the instinct to grab her own.

"I'm sorry but you're looking at it the wrong way." She said, hoping to calm the furious girl or at least delay a fight. "You say I went to commit suicide and… I guess I did know that was one probable outcome. Ultimately I did the same thing Ms. Goodwitch did - when I realized there was no alternative, I fought back even knowing the odds. They had me against a wall, Nora. I couldn't do anything to stop them even if I saw them doing something bad. I had to let them go with a big van full of weapons once and they taunted me. Thanked me for helping them. Can you imagine what it would be like to _help_ them just because you know fighting them would mean you and anyone with you would be badly outnumbered and killed? I only survived because my battleground was a narrow alley that allowed me the ability to kill anyone within my weapon's range. I didn't have to worry about hitting an ally by mistake. I _was_ badly outnumbered and in any other location I wouldn't have had even a slim chance of living through that night. I cared too much about my team to get them killed because I couldn't stand helping the enemy anymore. I understand Sky's anger and don't think I'm proud of myself. All I have done is ask myself what I might have done differently that would have kept Cardin alive. We can't change the past but we _do_ have a future and I don't want Sky to be angry with me forever. If you don't want me talking to him, that's fine… but let him know what I said."

Nora clenched her teeth, swung around and stormed off. Ruby sank to the floor, relieved it hadn't come to an actual fight but furious with herself for the low blow. Yang had warned her that the girl had lost her lifelong best friend in the wars. They were so close most people thought they were a couple and she was still hurting from the loss even though it happened years ago.

"Don't worry. He'll hear what you said."

She jumped and looked up at the new arrival, a stranger - and even more unexpected, a faunus. His tall, pointed doglike ears were impossible to miss, black around the edges and tan in the middle. The long tail was equally difficult to ignore, black on top with tan fur below. "You think she'll actually tell him?"

He shrugged and smiled, holding up a scroll between two fingers. "I did."

"You what?" She blinked, uncomprehending for a moment.

"Sent him a recording of the whole conversation. She may think she's doing him a favor by protecting him from the truth but I doubt he'd really appreciate that in the long run. He needs to make his own decisions based on facts." He closed the distance between them and held out a hand. "What's done is done and whatever the reasons were, we need to focus more on improving the future than complaining about the past. I'd like to believe he'll suck it up and make peace with everyone so we can all work together."

"Yeah…" She took his hand and let him pull her back to her feet. She may have kept growing while in that coma but she was still only shoulder high on him. "Thanks. I'd introduce myself but you probably already know who I am."

"Who doesn't?" He smiled. "I'm Book."

"I thought the faunus were on Ozpin's side…" She said, a bit puzzled.

"Most are. A few of us retained our sanity when it was announced that we were free from human discrimination. People of all races tend to react foolishly when they have been treated bad for a long time and discover the tables have turned. I was lucky in a way… I grew up around good people who didn't hate me for my extra features. All that cruelty most faunus experience stems from confusion and fear, not actual dislike. I couldn't quite get that message through to anyone, though. When the lines were drawn most of my friends came here and I gladly came with them."

"I would have thought you'd stay with the other faunus and try to talk sense into them." She said thoughtfully as he began walking with her back toward her usual section of the compound.

"They wouldn't have listened. It's too soon even now. They are still riding high on the excitement of being in control. No, I can do the most good here. While the old ways weren't exactly right they were less wrong than the current system and I need to be able to believe we will take them down. When that happens I will be here as a faunus representative to make sure things don't go back to the way they were."

"I'll do what I can to help." She assured him.

"Thank you." He said with a smile and it took all her effort not to giggle as she saw his tail wagging happily out of the corner of her eye.


	3. Chapter 3

Yang was furious. She yelled for a while about upsetting Nora after the warning that she was touchy about her lost best friend then things were quiet and she was alone again. It had been nice chatting with Book on the way back but he quickly excused himself when Yang appeared with that 'gonna kill a little sister' look in her eyes.

Sky still wasn't answering her messages, not that she was surprised. He had new reasons to be mad at her and she was increasingly certain her team was just permanently broken. All she could do was be glad they were all on the same side.

She did her best to stay distracted with training. Normally Yang helped but it looked like just Mezza, Dove, and Ms. Goodwitch as sparring partners for a while. It was enough, though. She filled her days with fighting and left as little time for thinking as possible. She had to get strong enough to join the others outside the compound. She had to be able to go against Ozpin. She _had_ to.

"My turn!" The words pulled her out of her daze and she found Crescent Beacon replaced with the training scythe again. Rose was standing across from her with an eager smile.

"What?" Ruby barely had a chance to register what was going on before the girl's hair was pulled back and she was moving forward. Her focus quickly returned by force as Rose darted, whirled, jumped and lashed out with incredible speed. Ruby had to tap in to her semblance to keep up but the challenge was exhilarating. By the end of the fight both had a few streaks of color but far less on Ruby than she had seen on the girls' other opponents.

Mezza knelt beside her daughter and pointed out the long streak angling across her stomach. "In a real fight she would have cut you in half. You have to be more careful."

"I want armor!" She stomped her foot. "When do I get armor?"

"It wouldn't make a difference in this case. That scythe can cut through most armor." She said firmly as she avoided answering the question. Ruby understood, she didn't want to have armor made both because the girl would outgrow it quickly and because it would make her status as a fighter all the more real.

"Don't worry." Ruby grinned, picking Rose up. "You'll get armor soon enough. Right now you're still growing fast and we can't afford to make really good stuff until you're big and strong. I'll help you make it when you're ready, okay?"

"Okay!" She said cheerfully, placated for the moment.

She had a shadow for the rest of the day as Rose wheedled lessons from her and challenged her to races. It was fun and it all helped her get back in shape so she gladly played along and let herself enjoy it.

By dinner time she was tired and the girl was practically asleep on her feet. Halfway through the meal she leaned against Ruby and fell asleep. When Dove came to get his daughter she reached out and clung to her neck, mumbling while trying to wake up. "Miss Rubyrose?"

"Yeah?" She smiled at the adorable, sleepy little face and the way she said her name as if it were one word.

"Knives're fun but I'm gonna learn all th' weapons…" She yawned, unable to keep her eyes open as she talked. "Can I learn scythe next?"

"Of course." She kissed Rose on the forehead and grinned at Dove. He chuckled and loosened her grip on Ruby so he could carry her home.

Once she was alone she sighed, sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. She really missed the cafeteria at Beacon, eating with her team and chatting with anyone willing to talk. Now she ate alone in a repurposed lab unless one of the few people she knew wanted to have their meal with her.

She jumped when a chair nearby scraped on the floor. Her eyes flew open as she sat up again and she let out a relieved breath. "Hello, Ms. Goodwitch."

"Glynda, please." She said with an amused smile that almost reached her eyes. "There is no need for formality around here."

"Alright." She said, forcing a smile.

"Is everything okay? While you are making excellent progress you have been distracted lately."

"Yeah… Sky's still mad at me. I know it shouldn't bother me as much as it does, I mean, he's got every right to be angry. I just wish I could think of some way to make it up to him. I know it's impossible and I made things worse when I tried to go talk to him…" She groaned and let her forehead hit the table, not bothering to sit up again. "Maybe being stuck around here with so few people to talk to is just getting to me. I have nothing to do but obsess over either really big problems or the drama in my own life."

"I understand." Glynda said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Things will change soon. After your match with Rose Bronzewing this afternoon I have no doubt you are ready to rejoin the others. If you are ready. There are a lot of expectations. Ms. Schnee thinks you should stand as the figurehead of the resistance. You are proof that it is possible to survive and return to fight, stronger than ever. I'm afraid she has given you quite a reputation and your sister has had a hand in encouraging that. While there are no lies being told it is possible they are building a higher pedestal than you will be comfortable with."

"Great." She grumbled.

"There will be a meeting between the officers of the resistance tomorrow afternoon. There is an advisor position available to you if you wish to accept it."

"I probably will. I'm not thrilled with being in the middle of everything but I can't just sit around, either. Just send someone to get me and I'll be there."

"Good. If it goes well you will be given a room on one of the apartment levels of the compound."

"If not?" Ruby prompted.

"I can't imagine it not going well but if it comes to that we will consider options then. There is little further benefit to keeping you apart. You've had time to catch up on events, mourn the past and prepare for the future. You have your strength back and can handle challenges from other fighters. There will likely be a lot of challenges, too. It is the primary form of entertainment for both those involved and the spectators."

She finally sat up and smiled. At least that would be fun, some new folks to spar with would be a great challenge. "Thanks, Glynda. I'm sure it will go well."

The next afternoon as she was finishing her lunch Book appeared in the doorway. "Ready for the meeting?"

"Sure." She smiled. "You're going to be there?"

"Yup. I'm a very important person, you know." He said matter-of-factly but there was a twitch at the corners of his lips that betrayed his difficulty in holding a straight face.

"Oh? Not the janitor, are you?" Ruby grinned and let him lead the way.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Nah, I just try to keep everyone happy. Not an easy job and I end up delegating a lot of work, but I _am_ in charge of keeping up with the opinions and ideas of the average person around here. Not everyone can use a weapon, you know. Some just didn't want anything to do with Ozpin."

"I'm glad they have someone paying attention to that sort of thing." She smiled, he was laid back enough she was sure he got along with everyone. "Are people generally happy?"

"Well, claustrophobia can be an issue now and then, outings aren't really safe since there are a **lot** of Grimm topside. Mostly, yeah. People tend to be happy. Those who don't have the knowledge to help with the more skilled jobs keep busy with the gardens and maintenance. Most of the younger folks put forth the effort to learn either a useful trade or how to fight, though. There are some who are happy here and content to live out their lives within the compound but that's a minority. Most want to see Ozpin brought down and life go back to normal."

"At least people have the option of being content with their lives." She said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her words. When was the last time she had been truly content? She couldn't remember ever just being happy. There was always either excitement and impatience for the future or frustration with the direction life had taken.

"Contentment now leads to pain in the future." He shrugged. "As much as I like seeing people happy I wish more of them were willing to learn to fight. We've lost a lot of people over the years and there's a constant battle between children and their parents as the kids want to fight and the adults forbid them from weapons out of fear of losing them, too."

"Well, that's the history of life, isn't it?" She asked, her attention trailing as they passed through unfamiliar doors into new hallways and stepped on a larger elevator than the one she had used when seeking out Sky. It wasn't as nice and from the worn tracks on the floor she was certain this was mostly used by maintenance staff and delivery people in the past. She smiled when he pushed the button for the fourth floor and they jerked into motion. She had mostly seen the lower levels on the rare occasions she left the one floor they encouraged her to remain on. Most people didn't go below the tenth floor unless they worked on one of the lower levels and since she had been thirty eight floors down, she mostly saw the occasional researcher or medical aid checking on her.

"I suppose it is. Most of my family went with the rest of the faunus. Go with the flow and survive, right?" He shrugged. "Surviving isn't living and I wasn't about to give in just because it would be easier."

Ruby smiled, hoping the rest shared his view. It was going to be really hard to destroy the empire that had risen all across Remnant but they had no real choice. He was right - they would never really get to _live_ if they went along with Ozpin.

When the elevator stopped he stepped out and led her to a conference room. Most of the chairs were already filled around a long oval table. At the head sat the grumpy but regal Weiss Schnee, at the far end was Yang. There were a few people she recognized but most she didn't. Book pulled out a seat near Yang for her and once she was seated, took his own closer to the middle. That left one empty seat near Ms. Schnee.

"As you can all see," Weiss began once the whispered conversations around her fell silent. "Ruby Rose has recovered and chosen to join us. For her benefit I will introduce everyone before we get down to business. I am, of course, the president. My vice president is Blake Belladonna."

Ruby smiled at the faunus beside her, pretty black cat ears poked out from her hair but the woman seemed a little less than friendly so she refocused on what Weiss was saying.

"Our secretary is Kara Long and our treasurer could not be here today but I hear you already know Sky Lark. Dr. Cansado is our chief of labs," She indicated an old man who seemed to have fallen asleep while sipping his coffee and she quickly moved on. "The chief of military is Jaune Arc, and the chief of personnel is Book Leder. We maintain a few advisors though these positions will rotate as needed. Currently we have Glynda Goodwitch, Yang Xiao Long, Pyrrha Nikos and, if you choose to accept the seat after the meeting, you."

"Nice to meet you all." She said nervously, wishing she had her team with her. Yang wasn't even acknowledging her so there was no support there. Most of them either nodded a greeting or smiled. Yang, Weiss and Blake seemed the only ones who didn't really care to try being friendly.

"So, shall we continue?" Weiss said tersely.

Ruby had a bit of trouble keeping focused during the meeting since it was mostly just each person relating any changes or updates worth mentioning since the last meeting. Most of it was boring and had nothing to do with anything she understood. The closest it got to excitement was when they woke Dr. Cansado and he loudly informed everyone that Ruby had made enough progress that he suggested they invite her to the next meeting. Even Blake smiled as she pointed. Much of the tension seemed to leave the room after the laughter died down. It seemed everyone was pretty stressed out and that offered at least a temporary release.

She wondered why she had never seen the doctor among those who had looked in on her. Though she remembered hearing his name she hadn't seen him once. Was the staff that big?

After the meeting Book took her around to meet some of them on a more informal level. The first one he dragged her over to was Jaune Arc. The blonde man smiled and she realized he was a lot younger than she thought at first, possibly even near her age. "I'm glad you got your strength back, Ruby. I've been looking forward to sparring with you but haven't had the time to go see you."

"That's alright. I haven't really been the best of company lately." She said as cheerfully as she could.

"That's not what I've heard from Rose Bronzewing." He laughed. "She informed me that you would probably be taking my place a few days ago."

"Seriously?" She felt her cheeks burning. "I'm so sorry, I have no idea where she came up with that! I really have no intention of…"

"I know. Don't worry, I've dealt with enough kids to know that all it meant was you impressed her with your skill. I heard you held up pretty well against her, too. The girl is practically a force of nature so that says something. I'm hoping we can deal with this before she's old enough to get involved but if it drags on that long I may have to feel pity for Ozpin's forces."

"If I have any say in it, she'll be playing under the sun by her next birthday." Ruby said firmly.

"Good. I want to see you fight against a few of the others before I include you in future plans. We need all the help we can get but without decent strategy it does no good."

"I'm ready to fight whenever you want." She grinned.

"I'll send the location tomorrow and we'll get a few challengers lined up." He nodded, glancing over her shoulder. "If you'll excuse me there are a few things I need to get yelled at about."

She turned, confused, saw him heading for her fuming sister and considered going in to back him up. When Yang had that look it usually ended with her opponent backing down or hurting bad. Book shook his head and drew her across the room to Kara Long.

"Alright, Ruby, if you need to talk to Blake or Weiss, this is who you talk to first. She'll arrange a meeting whether official or 'by chance'. I advise you chat with Blake first when possible. She's very reasonable and about the only one who can talk sense into Weiss."

"It's such an honor to meet you." Kara smiled, shaking Ruby's hand. "Of course I can help you get in touch with anyone who is otherwise difficult to find. Most people other than those here would be easy to contact on your own, though. There are a few council members who stay too busy to answer every call."

"Like Sky?" She asked, feeling that weight settling over her heart again.

"Don't worry about him, he's just having a bit of a personal crisis." Book said quietly. "Old habits die hard but some need to end up dead and buried. Try not to let it get to you, okay?"

She nodded and Kara gave her a sympathetic smile before slipping away to talk to Blake.

Next was the doctor. Book didn't have a chance to say anything before the old man started talking. "So sorry I haven't been 'round to see you yet, my dear. I've monitored your progress, of course, but there has been so much going on I simply haven't had the time."

"The doctor here is in charge of both the medical and scientific labs. He spends more time with paperwork and supervisors than actually getting involved in anything." Book said with an apologetic smile. "I've been petitioning for a vacation for him but Ms. Schnee just looks at me like I'm insane and Blake isn't having her usual luck convincing her to change her mind."

"Oh, there's no need to go to the trouble, my boy." The doctor said with a forced smile. Ruby wanted to hug the poor man. How could Weiss not see he was practically dead on his feet? The guy needed a break! "I must get back to my office, though. I'm already late for another meeting."

"Alright, doc. Don't forget to get some sleep, huh?" Book called after him, loud enough for the president to hear.

Most of the group had cleared out so Book guided her back toward the elevator. "So, think you can put up with that group?"

"Will I ever understand what they're talking about?"

"Yeah." He laughed. "It makes more sense if you're getting the weekly updates. That had to be like picking up a book and reading from the middle."

"A bit, yeah." She agreed. "So… why is Yang not the one in charge of the military? She's a great fighter and I know she's studied a lot of strategies."

"True. She was considered at first but really she's the 'front line' kind of person and nothing will change that. She wants to be in the middle of the action and that can be dangerous for the leader. Jaune is a strong fighter but more than that he has studied everything he could get hold of about war and strategy. He cares about the fighters under his command and usually has multiple contingency plans in case something falls through. He welcomes ideas and in reality, he shares his position with Pyrrha Nikos. They've been working together since they started at Beacon. Most people wonder if they aren't secretly married."

"Are they?" She prompted, curious.

He shrugged. "If they are, they hide their relationship well. It doesn't interfere with their work or prevent him from putting Pyrrha on the front lines with Yang."

"She must be good, then."

"One of the best." He agreed, holding the door open once they reached her floor. "Well, everything went well so you'll be moving to the fifteenth floor tomorrow."

"Sounds like it will be a busy day."

"You have no idea." Book laughed. "Get some sleep."

"Thanks." She smiled and stepped off the elevator, heading to her lonely room for the last time.

Ruby stopped short as she got close. Sitting against the wall across from her door was Sky. He looked up when he heard her steps. There was no more anger hiding his pain. Before she could think it through, she ran forward and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry, Sky… I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

"I know." He said softly, hugging her just as tightly. "I didn't handle it very well. It was just too much all at once. I'm sorry I took it out on you. I really am glad you're back."

"Me, too." She smiled, pulling away once he loosened his grip. "Will you apologize to Nora for me? I feel terrible for upsetting her… it's great that you have someone looking out for you like that, though. I hate that I messed things up. I bet we could have been friends."

"Your point was not made in the best way but it was a good point." He sighed. "She'll forgive you. It's what she does. I've never seen her hold a real grudge against anyone but Ozpin. Don't worry too much about it… but you might try that cookie tactic of yours. It will work a lot better on her than it did on us."

"Thanks, Sky." She grinned, hugging him again. "I've really missed you."

"I missed you, too." He chuckled. "Better get home, though. Nora will be worried."

"I'm starting to think I'll always be the odd one out." She laughed. "Everyone else is married."

His smile faded a bit and she realized how sad that sounded. Sky mussed her hair. "Don't worry about it. Just a matter of time."

"Thanks." She forced a laugh and he headed for the elevator.

Once he was gone she went in to her room and dropped onto the hospital bed she would be glad to say goodbye to, stared at the ceiling and let the loneliness war with her hope for the future.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning she was barely awake before chaos exploded around her. Somewhere in the flurry of activity Yang showed up and let her know all was forgiven then pitched in to help her move. Dove, Mezza and Rose all helped, too. Ruby hadn't thought she had much but she had accumulated two boxes of clothes, three boxes of books and an assortment of other little things Yang had given her so it did take all of them to carry her stuff to the new apartment. At least they made it in one trip.

Ruby's new apartment was on a floor that once housed offices for upper-management. There was a spacious lounge area with thirty large offices that had been converted into small apartments. Yang informed her there were three similar floors and her apartment was located two floors down in what used to be chemistry labs.

Hers was one of the smaller rooms but Ruby loved it. It was better than that pristine medical room. Hers had simple gray carpet and warm beige walls with a few beautiful paintings. Dove explained that three of the residents on this floor were artists - each one had been created by them. She loved the beautiful scenes and decided to track down the artists and thank them. The bed was no bigger than her old hospital bed but it didn't have wheels and a call button attached so she was happy. There was even a bookshelf bolted to one wall!

"There's a shared kitchen they keep fairly well stocked down the hall." Dove said as he helped her fill the bookshelf. "There are a few people on this floor who love to cook so you probably won't have to deal with that unless you want to. It'd be a good idea to help clean up, though. They consider that ample payment for them doing the majority of the work."

"Are you guys on this floor, too?" Ruby perked up.

"Yeah, other side of the main room." Mezza smiled. "We're in room nineteen."

"At least I know a few people here." She smiled, relaxing.

"Now we can play _all_ the time!" Rose cheered, tackling Ruby.

"You bet!" She laughed.

By the time dinner was served she had met half the people on the floor and almost felt at home. Quite a few of them gave her that unnerving 'you're a hero!' look but many were nice and just treated her like a normal person. The cooks were happy to show off their skills with some fantastic dishes. It wasn't a huge feast, food was still somewhat rationed, but they showed what they could do within their restrictions.

The next week she spent taking on challenges and establishing herself within the community. She pushed hard to earn the reputation she had been given and she _had_ to push because they had built her up pretty high.

Book checked in regularly to offer encouragement and advice but aside from her team he was the only one who really seemed interested in being her friend. Most people were nice but she really did feel like she was standing on a pedestal and they wouldn't let her get down. It didn't help with her feelings of isolation.

Yang was almost bi-polar, swinging from her old cheerful self to a snarling beast depending on whether it was almost time for another strike against Ozpin or not. If she wasn't out leading the charge, she was in a bad mood. Ruby found out that if she and Rose made faces at her, it would cheer her up for a little while, though.

Life almost seemed to fall into a comfortable pattern for a couple of weeks as Jaune planned the next attack. He had Ruby out front with Yang - they were going to try to knock out one of the towers Ozpin used to track and spy on people. Yang wanted to go after some of his pet Grimm as well but Jaune insisted they keep it simple and fast... so she was in a bad mood. Nothing new there.

Everything got tense when word filtered back that there was to be a broadcast from the Overlord the following week. Apparently he didn't address people directly often so it was big news. The council had an emergency meeting that was much more exciting than the previous one as everyone bickered about whether to allow the broadcast to play in the compound or just send someone to watch and bring back a report as to the contents.

Book listened silently, one of the only calm people in the room. Ruby kept out of it as much as she could since Yang was yelling loud enough for both of them. The majority wanted to see for themselves what he had to say. Jaune, Weiss and Blake all thought it was a bad idea since he was really good with his propaganda. Once Blake had gotten everyone to stop talking, she turned to Book.

"What do you think?"

"Well, I agree that it probably isn't a good idea since so many people have been here for so long. He may find effective ways to tempt them into betraying us… but if you don't allow people to see the broadcast there may be problems, anyway." He said after a moment of thought. He was choosing his words carefully. "Once someone is brought here they are given a safe place and everyone is grateful for that, but they revel in what freedom they have and many will view restricting their choice as a violation of one of those small freedoms. I advise you allow it to play."

"Very well." Weiss scowled. "We will allow it to play in common rooms but I want you to have people you trust on hand to observe reactions and make a list of anyone we may need to worry about."

"No problem." He nodded. "I'll have that list to you within an hour of the broadcast."

She didn't bother answering, just stalked out of the room. Blake sighed. "Try to keep people calm and reassure them nothing has changed - Ozpin doesn't have anything to use against us. He's probably just going to appeal to the people to help him catch us again. Our spies are still out there and reporting back often. There is nothing new to be concerned about."

The week dragged by even as busy as Ruby stayed. She loved being back around people but was still frustrated by all the special treatment. Only her old friends really acted normal around her. Well, them and Book. She looked forward to visiting with the faunus. She had only seen a few others around and they were always too busy to talk to.

When at last the time came most people gathered in the various common rooms to see what Ozpin had to say. There were some who feared what he may say and hid in their rooms but most were too curious to pass up the chance. Ruby went to the room most of the council had chosen, the largest common room on Yang's floor. It really was an impressive place, if a bit boring. Clean white walls with silver accents, high ceilings and bright, indirect lights.

There were no chairs left by the time the broadcast began. Ruby sat with Yang on the floor near the large screen while most of the other council members stood near the back. Weiss was present but clearly didn't want to be. Blake was holding her in place with Book beside them looking highly amused.

"Thank you all for your attention." Ozpin's familiar voice brought Ruby's attention back to the screen. He sat at a desk, coffee cup in hand and had that same friendly smile she was so used to. Though he showed some small signs of ageing, he looked so normal it was almost insulting. "I apologize for disrupting your day but I felt it best to address a few rumors. It is true that the misguided children attacked us some time ago and took one of my dearest staff members captive. There is a lot of unnecessary speculation and I wish to assure you all that you need not fear."

"Is he talking about me?" Ruby blinked.

"Yeah, he couldn't exactly say 'that unconscious girl witnesses saw the rebels taking'." Yang scowled.

"Though they have done many foolish things, those who have not yet returned home to their families are not cruel. They are good people and I have no doubt their hostage is being treated well. We are still waiting to hear their demands for her safe return but please, set your minds at ease. If you wish to help and you know anyone among those misguided children in the wilderness, please send them messages to convince them to listen to reason. I am not sure if the one they took is watching but if she is I would just like to say…" Ozpin's smile widened. "Hello, Red."

Ruby tensed as the words seemed to echo in her brain and a terror rose to push out all other thought. She looked around and went cold as she realized she was still in the alley. Torchwick's lackeys were everywhere and there he stood, on the far side of the crowd, smirking at her.

She was on her feet with her weapon in hand in an instant and Torchwick laughed. "Kill her."

_Not again…_ She thought desperately as she brought her weapon around. She _had_ to get to him, _had_ to stop him before he killed more people, before he won. His men were better fighters this time, the weaker ones ran in fear as she fought her way toward her tormentor. She was almost to him when one of his goons stepped in her way and blocked her scythe. "Don't."

It was Cardin was giving her that irritating, arrogant look again as he pushed her away.

"Don't tell me what to do!" She yelled at him as indignant fury overrode the fear. Then she blinked and it was Dove standing there. Slowly she looked around and the dark alley dissolved, where Torchwick had been there was Weiss with her own blade ready. Ruby dropped Crescent Beacon and stepped back. "...What just happened?"

"I should have known." Jaune snarled vehemently, though his anger was not directed at her. He glared at the dark screen behind her. "How did I not guess he would do that!?"

Blake pulled Weiss into an elevator while Sky and Dove hurried over, weapons sheathed. Dove rested a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"What? No!" She shook her head, scared, furious and worried as she looked over her shoulder to see streaks of blood marring the clean, bright room. The injured had already been hurried away to leave only those bright traces as proof of what just happened.

"It looks like he set you up to go homicidal when you hear a key phrase." Book said thoughtfully.

"The son of a bitch knew we'd be watching, knew she would be healthy enough to do some damage by now." Jaune paced, shaking his head. "Yang, Sky, get her back to her room. Book, Kara, make sure everyone knows the trigger phrase and Dove, I want to know how you stopped her."

"I can expl-" Ruby started indignantly but Yang and Sky were already pulling her toward the elevators.

"Don't worry about it right now." Sky said as calmly as he could. "For now we just need to get you somewhere safe."

"But I'm okay now." She protested.

"Yeah, you were okay five seconds before you flipped out, too." Yang pointed out. She couldn't really argue with that and stopped struggling against them.

"Did… I kill anyone?" She asked hesitantly once the elevator was moving.

"We don't know." Sky admitted quietly, walking with her back to her room. The few people in the halls watched Ruby warily. Word spread fast.

She shrank in on herself with every step and was unbelievably relieved when the door to her room closed and left her with two of the few people she really trusted.

"So you said you could explain?" Yang prompted. "Just what happened?"

"Cardin..." She began but she got no further before that recently healed wound tore open again. She found herself curled up against Sky as she sobbed uncontrollably.

"Any time she did something wrong or annoyed Cardin he would say 'don't' like that. If she couldn't tell what he was referring to she had to ask for clarification. It drove her up the wall and since it tended to happen multiple times a day, by the time things went wrong it would instantly infuriate her."

"So without realizing it Cardin embedded a trigger word of his own?" Yang laughed. "That's great! But what was up with the one Ozpin used?"

"That's how Torchwick used to greet her. I guess he decided that would be the best phrase since he could build on pre-existing fears." He sighed and hugged Ruby. "It'll be alright. Now that we know what he did we can work around it."

She shook her head, sniffling as she finally began to calm down. He sounded confident but how could he guarantee people would forgive her? She had thought they were enemies... If she seriously hurt anyone they may never trust her again. She had been so obsessed with reaching what she saw as Torchwick that she hadn't really paid attention to what happened to the people who got in her way.

She tuned them out after that, not wanting to hear anything else. She had to figure out how to prove she was reliable but convincing others would be impossible when she wasn't entirely sure herself.

She wasn't sure when she fell asleep, she just became aware that her nightmares occasionally gave way to a reality that wasn't much better. A few times Yang was there to offer empty words of comfort but eventually she began to wake up alone only cry herself back to sleep. She was only vaguely aware of time passing, of being hungry or thirsty but she ignored everything since she lacked the energy or will to do anything about it.

A few times she heard knocks at the door but she just couldn't gather the energy to answer. She was exhausted from bad sleep and her brain running circles, miserable from uncertainty and terrified about what may happen when she left the room. What if they decided she was too dangerous to have around? What if they didn't and she was?

Her brain continued its spiral into fear filled depression and it wasn't long before she saw that the only solution was to leave the compound and work against Ozpin alone. She wouldn't be able to endanger anyone else that way. Her friends might try to stop her but she doubted anyone else would. As long as she hurried, they wouldn't have a chance to do anything.

After gathering what she thought she might need, she took a deep breath and opened the door. She used her semblance to get to the elevator as fast as possible and hit the button for the top floor before leaning against the wall with her eyes closed.

"Leaving, then?"

She almost screamed at the unexpected voice. Book waited for her to calm down and answer. "Yeah. I don't want to endanger anyone else."

"You know," He said as he hit the 'stop' button. "I had a long talk with your friends earlier. They're all worried about you."

"They always worry about me." She muttered.

"You don't think they have every right to be? From what they said you ran off to handle your problems alone twice. Both times you nearly died. Do you really think the results will be different this time?"

Ruby slid down the wall and sat, not wanting to look at him. "No, I don't. It's just the only option I have. It'll be better if I go... maybe I can do some good out there before they get me. If I stay they may be able to take down the resistance using me whether I like it or not."

"Do you have so little faith in your friends?" He asked. She looked up and felt like she'd been slapped. He looked so disappointed, his ears were even drooping…

"It's not about my faith in them. How can anyone here have faith in _me?_"

Book knelt beside her and held her head still with one hand as he set an earpiece in place with the other. Before she could ask what it was for, he pressed a button on his scroll and she heard that irritatingly command. "Don't."

"All scrolls now have a button to trigger it. If you look like you might be losing control, if you are acting strangely, you will hear the word that will snap you out of it." He smiled and gave her a handkerchief as tears welled up again. They had thought this through. She was almost able to let herself hope again. "The doctor said to let you know this is a prototype. He's working on a smaller one while some of his men are researching ways to remove the programming. I know things look bad right now but we _will_ figure things out. Just don't give up yet, okay?"

She nodded after a moment and took a deep breath to ask the question she had been dreading more than anything. "Is... everyone okay?"

His reassuring smile faltered. "Most are. There were three people who didn't get enough help in time."

She shuddered and curled up, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her head on her knees. She had killed three innocent people...

"Ruby..." Book firmly took her head between his hands and made her look at him. "You are _not _a coldblooded killer. You are the victim of a madman. No one blames you for what happened. You are a good person and there are people who need you here. People who need for you to be okay. Everything I have seen, everything I have heard proves that you have a kind heart and will do anything to save the people you care about. Even sacrifice yourself. What they need from you is your presence, your inspiration, your laughter. If you go this time it will not save their lives, it will steal their hope. Please, stay for them if not for yourself."

"I doubt I mean that much to anyone." She said, slightly unnerved by the sincerity in his deep brown eyes. He did make a good point, though. The earpiece would nullify a lot of the danger and the nervousness of the people would probably take care of the rest.

"You underestimate yourself. Your friends look up to you and have missed you terribly. What you did inspired them to start fighting back early on. It is because of them this place even exists. Those who don't know you personally see you as a true hero and for you to give up when things start to look bad... Ruby, if you leave it may destroy the resistance. They need to see that nothing Ozpin does will stop us, nothing he tries will succeed. I know it's hard but we need you to fight without a weapon right now. You have to fight the fear and hopelessness he has put in your mind. If you can do it, the rest of us can, too."

"I don't know if I can." Ruby admitted unhappily.

"I know you can." He smiled as he sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her in a hug. She leaned against him and thought about everything he had said. She didn't feel like she could handle the role they had given her, pretending to be strong, pretending she wasn't on the edge of tears all the time. It was so much easier to tackle problems that only required a blade or a gun. Problems that had a definitive end and a straightforward way to get there.

"Thanks, Book." She said after she had resolved to do her best even if it seemed impossible.

He hugged her tighter for a moment before releasing her and helping her stand. "It won't be easy but it will be worth it. I promise."

"I can manage." Ruby said but she knew the words lacked conviction. She stood silently as Book hit a button and they started to move again. When the door opened she followed him even though all she wanted to do was turn and run. She recognized the hall they were in - they were going to see the council.

She briefly glanced around as they entered before dropping her gaze back to the floor. It wasn't a full meeting and that almost seemed worse. The president and vice president were there, of course, and the secretary. The only others were Jaune Arc, Dr. Cansado and Glynda.

"Isn't there something you wanted to say?" Weiss said sharply as Ruby sat. She cringed, feeling those icy eyes on her.

Book rested a hand on her shoulder. "No. She has nothing to say. What happened was not her fault and she has no need to apologize for it."

"She tried to kill me." The girl snapped at him.

"Then demand an apology from Ozpin." Book said, everyone fell silent at the unusually angry snarl to his words. "Leave her alone."

Ruby glanced up to see both Weiss and Blake glaring at him while the others just looked surprised. After a moment of uncomfortable silence Dr. Cansado's loudly sipped from his coffee and turned to Glynda. "You were saying you may know how this was accomplished?"

"Yes." She said, relaxing slightly. "Years ago Ozpin introduced me to an old friend of his with an unusual semblance - he was able to influence the decisions of others. At least that was how they phrased it at the time. I've been thinking and perhaps there was more depth to what he could do. It is possible he was convinced to use his ability to turn Ruby into a sleeper agent. If this is the case we may not be able to fix the damage and they will likely use their influence against us."

"Dr. Cansado, I want you to do everything you can to find a way to nullify the threat. If she can't be controlled I want her quarantined." Weiss said firmly.

"No." Jaune said quietly.

"What?" Weiss demanded, turning her glare on him.

"You aren't going to lock her in a lab again just because you can't control every aspect of her brain. We know how to stop her if she gets triggered… but Ozpin doesn't. I think we would be better off trying to alter the conditioning, removing it may be near impossible but changing the target might be possible. If we can do that we can let her help and if they try to turn her against us it will only make things worse for themselves."

The president scowled at him for a moment before growling. "Fine. As long as she doesn't attack me or any other resident here, do whatever you want."

She stood and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Blake sighed wearily. "She's going to be impossible to deal with for a few days."

"I'm not going to ruin someone's life to cheer up the snow queen." Jaune said flatly.

Glynda smiled faintly and Kara quickly hid a giggle.

"Are you alright, Ruby?" Glynda asked her after a moment.

Ruby forced herself to nod. "I'm still a bit shocked, that's all. It's all a bit like a bad dream."

"What are your thoughts on my suggestion?" Jaune asked. "I didn't mean for it to sound like the plan was set in stone, I just had to say something to contradict her before she got carried away."

"It's a good idea." She nodded. "I don't like knowing that people can say two words and I lose my mind… I don't want to go back there. It made me relive one of the worst moments of my life but if it's going to happen I want it to be taken out on the right people. Glynda said it may not be possible to fix and if making that change is easier, I'm all for making sure I only hurt bad people until we can figure out a way to make it stop entirely."

"Good. Dr. Cansado," He paused, sighing as he realized the old man had fallen asleep sitting up. He crumpled a piece of paper and bounced it off the doctor's head, smiling faintly as a sudden loud snore filled the room and the doctor took another drink from his half-empty coffee. "Ignore what Weiss said earlier. We're going to try to alter Ruby's conditioning so she only attacks Ozpin's people."

"That shouldn't be too hard. I'll figure out which of my people is best suited to this and send notification when we are ready to begin." He nodded, stood up with some difficulty and shuffled out.

"One of these evenings I'm going to slip sedatives in his coffee pot so he will get some sleep." Book said thoughtfully.

"That might not be a bad idea." Glynda nodded. "I'm not sure he'll remember much of what just happened as it is. I'd better make sure the right words get passed along."

She smiled at Ruby before going after him. Blake sighed. "Time for some damage control. Keep me up to date, Jaune. Book… we need to talk about your methods of communication."

"You and Weiss are the only ones complaining." He shrugged unapologetically.

She gave him a brief glare before walking out, quickly followed by Kara. Jaune sighed heavily and sat back, closing his eyes. "I'm really sorry, Ruby. I should have anticipated all of this. Ozpin is devious and heartless. After everything he's pulled before we should have known he was going to try something. I should have asked you to watch the broadcast from a separate room. Don't blame yourself for anything that happened - it was my fault."

"It is _Ozpin's_ fault." Book said firmly. "You two need to stop trying to feel guilty, it's a distraction that we don't need right now."

"I'm trying." Ruby said quietly but it didn't matter how much logic the others offered, she couldn't help but feel like she might have been able to hold back if she had tried. It really did feel like a bad dream and the farther it got, the more convinced she was that if she had tried she could have seen through the illusion her brain created. It hadn't made any sense and that alone should have been enough to let her see something was wrong.

Jaune nodded but didn't look like he was having any more luck than she was. "We can talk about this later. I need to get going. Yang is pushing for a more direct attack and she's got everyone pretty worked up. After that broadcast it wouldn't be a good idea."

Book nodded and watched Ruby silently until he had gone. "It will turn out alright. Stop worrying."

"Why is he set against a direct attack now? After what happened I can see Yang's reasoning. I'd love to charge in and burn his house to the ground." She grumbled.

"He's clever. To anyone other than the resistance, he was nothing more than polite and forgiving. That's the way it always is. It's why Weiss was so set against allowing people to watch. He appears to be the picture of kindness and compassion, always reassuring his people that we are all foolish and misinformed but not to be hated, not a real threat. Hidden in his friendly talks there are usually comments that make sense only to us, insults couched in gentle words. A couple of years ago there was one similar to this." He sighed and closed his eyes. "They had captured one of our spies and sentenced him to death. We went to a lot of trouble to get him back in time. The rescue team was almost killed in the attempt. Two weeks later we discovered that he had injected the man with a disease that had a long enough incubation period that we had let our guard down. There was a broadcast where he said that he had gotten word of an outbreak of serious illness here and he wished to offer his condolences and well wishes along with the offer of medical aid if we returned to the city and gave up this 'silly game' we were playing. To the average citizen it was an act of kindness and he seemed genuinely sincere and concerned. To us it was adding insult to injury, he was laughing at us and none of the citizens would believe for an instant that he was responsible for our troubles."

"That's why Jaune was blaming himself…" She said quietly. He had tried a similar trick before.

"That's why you were in isolation for a month. Adjustment time and getting healthy again were important but more than that, we had to be very sure you were not infected like the last person."

"Can't detect an infected mind, though." She said glumly.

"Jaune is upset because he didn't predict a devious trick that none of us thought possible. You are upset because you didn't stop something out of your control. None of that will help us, though. It won't happen again and you need to worry more about the future than the past. A direct attack against Ozpin after his seemingly kind broadcast will look bad. We all have family and friends among the 'true citizens' and it could be dangerous to upset them enough to turn on us. We do what we can to hide our location but if they tried hard enough, I'm sure some of them could find us. Perhaps you could talk sense into Yang? She may not be the one leading the fighters in name but she is charismatic enough that if she really wanted, she could probably rally the others, convince them to ignore Jaune's orders and follow hers instead."

"It sounds like something she'd do if she was sure she was right, too." Ruby sighed. "Yeah, I'll talk to her."

"Thank you." He smiled, standing. "The sooner the better for that, though. I have to go see a few other people but send me a message if you need someone to talk to, okay?"

"Are you a psychiatrist or something?" She asked, smiling at him.

"Close." He laughed. "I was training to be a therapist when all this started. Needless to say I never finished but I do care about the mental state of the people here."

"I'm glad you came." She said as they headed for the elevator. "I imagine just about anyone who deals with the president needs someone to talk to just to keep sane."

"Everyone here needs someone to talk to. At least once in a while. This can be a very stressful place whether you are fighting or not. People just aren't meant to be confined for this long."

"Why not arrange for outings? If all the hunters are there it wouldn't be a problem to hunt down all the Grimm in the area. We could clear a big chunk of the forest if we worked all day - enough they wouldn't be able to pinpoint our location. Especially if we did this in different areas over the course of a month and just not have ours be the first."

"That might work… I'll bring it up with Jaune when I see him."

She smiled, glad to have potentially helped. That brief happy moment came to an end as the elevator doors opened. Soon she would have to deal with people again... See the fear and betrayal in their eyes. Book wrapped an arm around her and pulled her along as he stepped in.

"I know you're scared but it will be okay. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for, Ruby." He said reassuringly as he pushed the button for his next destination. "No one expects you to be perfect even at the best of times, just keep pushing forward and being yourself."

She didn't trust her voice so she just nodded. All she wanted was to go hide somewhere and not have to see anyone. That quarantine sounded fantastic.

"Don't forget, I'm always available if you need someone to talk to."

She nodded again and sighed as the door closed between them. It was nice of him to offer but she doubted she would bother him. She _did_ wish there was someone uninvolved to talk to but everyone had some reason to be biased. Everyone wanted something from her and he was no different. He wanted her to be strong and help improve morale so everything he said would be to push her toward that goal.

She stared at the button panel for a while without seeing it. Finally she brought her mind back around to the task at hand. Where would Yang be in the middle of the afternoon? Her apartment? _The training rooms, of course._ She scolded herself, hitting the appropriate button. If she couldn't be outside killing Grimm and working to bring down Ozpin, she'd be in one of those large rooms where she could practice and challenge other hunters to duels.

When the door opened again she took a deep breath and forced herself to step out into the hallway. This level near the surface once housed facilities to build large machines. The hangar doors high above each of the rooms had been sealed long ago and she suspected they had become grassy meadows by now.

There were a few offices once used by foremen that now served as close combat training areas. After a quick check of all the large rooms she began peeking in the smaller ones. Most of the other people on the floor were either too focused to notice her or quickly went about their business and she was grateful for that.

She was about to give up when she heard the familiar, though muffled sound of Yang shouting threats and insults. That tiny bit of normality was enough to get Ruby to smile as she went to the door the sounds were coming from. She opened it just enough to see in. Last time she interrupted Yang had turned those threats on _her_ and she hoped to avoid having any of it actually happen.

She had been too busy to watch many of Yang's sparring matches so she was careful to stay silent as she watched through the crack in the door. Her sister was fighting a faunus with bright yellow hair and a really long tail. His nunchucks shifted to a staff and back almost fluidly as he twisted, dodged and countered her attacks. She'd never seen anyone keep up with Yang quite so well, it almost looked more like a choreographed dance... at least until the man's tail whipped around, caught her ankle and pulled her leg out from under her.

With a shout she tumbled to the ground and glared at him. "That was cheating, Sun!"

"Yeah?" He grinned as he leaned down, his nose almost touching hers. "I guess you better cheat first next time."

"Think I won't?" She snapped and moved quickly, wrapping an arm around his neck as she pulled him off balance and slammed him to the floor.

Ruby quickly but silently closed the door and took a few steps back when Yang kissed him. Yang was dating that guy? She decided to just leave her a message and talk later. Glad for an excuse to go home, however awkward it may be, she ran back to the service elevator. There were four elevators accessible on each floor and most people preferred the three larger, faster ones accessed from the large lobbies and common rooms. Very few went out of their way to go to the service areas and that was how she preferred it. The only other people she ran into most of the time were usually folks on the council who didn't want to be bombarded with questions and conversation from random people. More often than not, she was alone on her trips and she was relieved when the ride proved as quiet as usual.

Her room's door was visible from the common area but the elevator let her out in one of the hallways that would allow her to get back without incident if she was quick.

She had the door unlocked and was about to open it when someone appeared beside her.

"Miss Rubyrose? Are you going away forever?"

The sad resignation in that little girl's voice broke her heart and she turned to kneel and hug her. "I thought about it but no, I'm going to stay. I promised to teach you how to use a scythe, didn't I?"

"Why did you attack Miss Schnee?" She asked. Ruby cringed, there was no fear or malice in her eyes, only innocent curiosity.

"The Overlord did something bad to my brain that made me think she was someone else. A very evil person."

"Oh..." She frowned as she thought that over.

"I hope it doesn't happen again but if it does and I start hurting good people, I want you to stop me, okay?" She said softly, taking Roses hands in her own." Call your parents and then stop me. Tell me 'don't' and if that doesn't work, do whatever you have to. I don't want to hurt any of our friends here and it scares me that the Overlord can make me do it without me even realizing it's happening."

"But I don't want to hurt you, either." She protested with tears in her eyes.

"I know. I hope we never have to worry about this but don't worry. I can heal if you hurt me, if I hurt other people they may not be able to. Making me stop is the most important thing, okay?"

Rose nodded and Ruby hugged her. "It'll be okay. Soon we'll start practising with a training scythe."

"Tomorrow?" She asked, instantly cheering up.

"We'll see." She smiled. "For now I need to get some sleep, though."

"Yeah, you look really tired." Rose agreed. "When you wake up I want to play!"

"Okay. I'll come find you later." She smiled as the little girl scurried away across the common room.

Ruby tried to ignore the wary stares from the people in the common room and slipped back into her apartment. With a sigh she dropped her hastily packed bag and dropped on her bed to send Yang a message. The scroll she had been given was a modified version of the ones carried by Schnee company employees. It was still strange to use something so basic compared to the one she had at Beacon but at least it was able to send text and voice messages to anyone in the building. Of course they worked on an internal network so there was no way to send anything to the outside world.

She quickly scrolled through a few 'are you okay?' and 'please answer the door' messages from her old team and Yang then moved on to sending her sister a message.

_Hey, sorry I didn't answer earlier. I'm still pretty upset about _

_what happened but I'll be okay. Jaune has an idea to use this thing _

_against Ozpin but there are some details to work out yet. If we hold _

_off on the planned attack for a while longer it may make a big _

_difference. Think you can stand hanging around here longer while _

_we prepare a more devastating strike? Maybe we can go hunt some _

_Grimm to take the edge off? _

She read it over twice and nodded. That should work, Yang wouldn't respond well to being told she's wrong to want to attack right now but with promise of a better fight later and a fun distraction she should back down.

With that sent she dropped back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, her somewhat acceptable mood sinking into depression as she looked at the situation again. Two words would drive her into a violent terror that had already killed three people and they had no way of knowing whether there were other trigger phrases. She wouldn't put it past Ozpin to come up with multiple ways of using her to make the people around her miserable.

"Book should have let me go." She said to the light fixture.

Closing her eyes, she willed herself to fall asleep and wake up in a better world.


	5. Chapter 5

She woke with a start and groaned. The dim lamp glowing beside her revealed her old room in the depths of the compound. Looks like Weiss won the quarantine issue. She reached for the scroll on the side table to see if anyone left her an explanation.

_How could you?_

She blinked. Yang sent that?

_We trusted you._

Dove…

_Hopeless._

Even Book had given up?

What had she done to cause this? Angrily wiping at tears she scrolled through many similar messages from other people until she got to one from Weiss.

_I knew you couldn't be trusted. We have no way of knowing _

_how many more trigger words he embedded in your brain. It was _

_hard enough to calm people down after you killed three of the residents _

_but this time there's no way I can cover for you. Since that stupid button _

_didn't work we have no choice but to leave you there where you can't _

_reach anyone. As many times as Dr. Cansado insists you had no control, _

_I can't believe him. You were clearly enjoying yourself. No more chances. _

_Goodbye._

Ruby dropped the scroll and curled up on the narrow bed. She had killed more people? The first time she had false memories but this time there was nothing… had she been killing in her sleep?

When her tears finally dried she looked around the room. She wore a simple shirt and pants made of flimsy material. No weapon, no books, no sharp objects at all. There was an extra set of clothing folded on a shelf, a small towel and simple bathroom with nothing more than necessary. She sighed and sat heavily on the bed again.

She was alone with her thoughts. When she tried to send a message to Yang she discovered that she had been blocked. It was the same with everyone. All she had were messages filled with disappointment and anger.

For three days she sat alone in the room. When anyone needed to enter a gas was pumped into the room that rendered her unconscious. She never saw the doctors. When she woke there would be food and clean clothes but nothing else. Most of her time was spent crying or staring at the wall wondering how long she could stand to live like this. Alone with only the vague knowledge that more than a few people were dead because of her and even her sister couldn't forgive her for whatever was done.

Then a chime thundered through the room.

She knew it hadn't been loud, she had just gotten so used to the silence that it seemed almost unbearable. She picked up the scroll, hoping it was Book or Yang… but there was no name beside the message.

_They will never trust you. They will never let you out._

The text made her stomach churn. It was true…

_Who are you?_

She waited anxiously for a response.

_The only one who still has faith in you. If you want me to _

_come get you I can show you how. You don't have to stay trapped _

_there with those people. I saved you once long ago and I can do it _

_again._

Ruby stared at that last line as a jumble of emotions flooded over her.

_Uncle Qrow?_

The response was almost instant.

_I miss you, Ruby. Come home._

She clung to this scrap of hope.

_Where are you? I haven't seen you here and Yang hasn't mentioned you!_

It felt like the next chime took forever to echo from the walls of the room.

_Still at Signal but I will come to get you out wherever you are._

He was on Ozpin's side. She pushed the scroll aside and cried into her pillow. Support the resistance and remain trapped here for the rest of her life or tell her uncle where they were and be rescued.

_I'm sorry. I can't._

She typed with trembling fingers. Tears welled again as she accepted the fact that she had just condemned herself to this torture for the rest of her life.

Ruby woke with a start as the door slammed open and Yang burst in. "Are you okay!? I could hear you crying down the hall!"

She looked around, back in her apartment and the tears started flowing again as she clung to Yang. "I didn't kill anyone else?"

"Of course not. What kind of idiot would say the trigger phrase?" Yang said, hugging her tightly. "Do you have nightmares like this often?"

She shrugged but wasn't ready to let go of her sister just yet. It had felt so real… "Not… not that bad."

"You should probably go talk to Book. He can help. Without him I'd most likely still be dreaming about Ozpin cutting my throat in the middle of the night."

She nodded. "I will."

"You should come eat. Dinner is ready." Yang grinned.

"You're eating with us today?" Ruby smiled.

"Sure. Book wanted to get everyone together."

"Not surprised." Ruby grumbled, not looking forward to it as much now. How many people would be included in 'everyone'? She didn't mind her team and their families… but if he brought the council members in it would surely be unpleasant.

"Stop worrying. It'll be fine!" She grinned and pulled Ruby out of the room.

Dinner was awkward at best and Ruby escaped from the weight of Weiss' glare as quickly as she could. Though there were a lot of people pretending not to be worried, a lot of them also had their scrolls handy.

She excused herself to go to the bathroom and ran for the elevator as soon as she was out of sight. Without really paying attention, she hit a button low on the selection grid. Most of the higher floors were apartments while the deeper levels were dedicated to various work zones. She had loved being in the weapon workshop and wanted nothing more than to go back there. Rows and rows of shelves filled Smith bins full of parts as well as racks of broken weapons needing repairs or just waiting to be cannibalized for parts. It was so much more comfortable there than being surrounded by people who didn't trust her.

Just before the doors closed there was a whoosh and clunk as Book dashed in and hit the far wall. She sighed as he clung to the handrail, breathing hard. "You okay?"

"I just want to be alone." She said as she hit the button to stop their descent.

"You know, I've noticed people most want to be alone when they least need it." He pointed out. "Yang said something about a nightmare."

"Yeah." She slid down the wall and sat, resigned to having company. "I dreamed I went on another spree in my sleep... No one believed I was really unaware and I got locked in quarantine. Even you gave up on helping me... Then my uncle sent a message offering to break me out but I knew it meant Ozpin would find this place. It doesn't sound so bad now but at the time it was just... horrible."

"Did you accept your uncle's offer?" He asked, sitting in front of her.

"No. I kinda wanted to and that made me feel even worse. I couldn't betray everyone like that, though."

"You probably should have." He said thoughtfully.

"What?" She stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Realistically, this place will fall eventually. The people will get discouraged, the numbers will be whittled down through skirmishes and Ozpin's tricks. It's all a futile effort so why keep fighting?"

"You can't be serious!" She couldn't believe he was actually saying all that and she did her best not to let herself acknowledge the rationality of the words. She stood and glared at him. "Did he get to you?"

"He recruited me long before there was need for a resistance." Book smirked, pushed her against the doors and stayed close, hitting a button with one hand. The elevator jerked into motion as he smiled menacingly at her.

"I'm going to-" Ruby began.

"Oh, yes, I know you're thinking that you will kill me or turn me in but who do you think they are going to believe? The chief of personnel who has been supporting them all these years or Ozpin's little puppet who loses her mind every time someone says two simple words." He brushed a hand across the side of her face and pulled the earpiece away as the door slid open. "Hello, Red."

She barely had time to acknowledge the betrayal before the terror surged up and he spun her to face the 'Courtyard', one of the largest lobbies and a favorite for residents to seek out for socialization. Before she could take a breath to warn anyone the fear peaked and she was back in the alley looking out over the intersection filled with armed people ready to kill her. On the far side she saw Torchwick slide into a car and speed away.

_Have to catch him, _She thought resolutely as she took out her scythe and stepped forward. _Have to stop him... and these men who follow him blindly. They will keep coming after me unless I stop them now._

The fear was quickly strengthened by rage and she ran in, her scythe clearing a path around her. This time she wouldn't let them come back for her.


	6. Chapter 6

She woke with a start, still hearing those terrible thoughts, still feeling blood on her hands... but she was in her apartment, curled up in the corner and it was very hard to breathe. She tried to take slow, deep breaths but no amount of willpower seemed enough to stop the quick, shallow gasps. She wiped at the tears blurring her vision with trembling hands.

It felt like hours before she finally calmed down and was able to breathe again. A dream? Again? Was this a dream or was she finally awake?

Once the fear was under control she forced her mind to focus on happy thoughts, good memories... to not think about how hard 'Torchwick's men' had fought back, how many ran and were cut down anyway. She shuddered and pulled out her scroll to send a message to Book... but that smile haunted her. The scroll ended up across the room.

There was no one she could talk to... They would tell her to talk to Book and what if it wasn't just a dream? What if her subconscious had picked up on the truth? He _had_ studied to be a therapist and that meant Ozpin would have had the ability to get his information, to have him as a spy. What if he was just waiting for the right moment to betray the resistance? He had been right, though. No one would listen to her word over his if it came to that...

She felt lost and alone, despair dragged her back down into depression and she decided to do nothing. She couldn't leave, she couldn't stay, she couldn't talk to anyone... She couldn't even tell if she was awake.

Ruby had no idea how long she sat there in the corner feeling like a ghost before a soft tapping at the door brought her attention back to the apartment. She was going to ignore it until she heard the soft voice on the other side. "Miss Rubyrose? Are you there? Want to play?"

After a chaotic moment of internal struggle, she fought off the lethargy enough to answer their door. Rose's smile vanished to be replaced with fearful concern. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"I just had a really bad dream." Ruby closed the door once Rose stepped in and sat heavily, pulling the girl into a hug.

"Mommy says bad dreams aren't real and we shouldn't let them scare us after we wake up." She said, hugging her back. "They can't hurt you now."

Ruby nodded and said nothing since the last thing she wanted was to tell her that some dreams _could_ hurt long after waking.

"Was a monster chasing you?" She asked, trying to figure out what had upset her so badly.

"No... I became the monster." Ruby answered quietly.

"Just like you did last time?"

She nodded.

"Then it won't stop." Rose said decisively. The little girl twisted in Ruby's grip then there was a sharp jab and she couldn't breathe, the awareness of pain quickly followed the shock wearing off as Rose stepped away with a bloody knife in hand. "You told me I had to stop you."

Ruby nodded, not sure whether to be upset or grateful. She forced a smile and let herself fall back, embracing the darkness that rose to meet her.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled, shaking her awake.

She pulled away, looking around her apartment. It was no longer comforting to see this room, to see Yang.

"What's going on? I could hear you screaming from down the hall!" She looked hurt when Ruby scooted away. "Your nightmares are getting worse, then? You really should talk to Book but right now we need you. Ozpin's got a lot of people prowling the area, I think they've narrowed down our possible locations and we may have to deal with them soon."

"Why were you in the hall?" Ruby demanded.

"What?" Yang stared at her blankly. "Didn't you hear what I just said? Crisis time!"

"Why were you on this floor?" She pushed, not willing to let it go. "You don't come here often, you send me a message to come to _your_ room."

"Catching on fast, aren't you?" Yang grinned as her flesh began to melt away to leave only a skeleton.

Ruby woke again, back in the medical labs with the too-bright lights making the generic room bleak and unwelcoming. Was this real? Another dream?

Time seemed to drag by but eventually Dr. Cansado dragged himself in, took a long drink of coffee and sat beside her. "Good to see you awake, Ms. Rose. You've been unconscious for almost a week now."

"Probably." She said, too tired to be scared anymore. It wouldn't end… she was trapped in a nightmare whether she was asleep or not. It just didn't matter.

"Your friends have been worried but I told them it would be best not to crowd you." He said, sipping his coffee. "Are you alright?"

"Aren't you scared I'll snap? Attack you?" She asked.

"Well, Ms. Schnee seems certain of that being the result of your relapse into a coma but I doubt it. It just isn't in your nature."

"Do I have a nature anymore?" Ruby didn't really expect an answer, she was thinking out loud more than encouraging conversation. "Ozpin messed with my head and now I'm not always me… so am I _ever_ me?"

"Everyone wonders much the same thing." He yawned. "I certainly do. Who am I really? What is reality when reality ceases to follow the rules you know? Does anything ever really matter? Should we keep living in this oversized cage when our families and friends are comfortable and happy up above us? Do you realize it's been over seven years since I saw the sun, Ms. Rose?"

"This is another dream." She sighed, closing her eyes. "You never came to see me here yourself and I've never heard you talk like that."

"Does that really change anything?" He asked, standing. "Reality is a dream, Ms. Rose. And you have only one way to improve your life. This is the nightmare realm but escape to better dreams is simple. Freedom is easily within your reach. I'll give you some time to think about that."

He closed the door behind him and she heard the lock clunk into place. Fight and live through more nightmares or surrender and pretend she had a normal life. She had already lost any chance of winning the war - that happened before there even _was_ a war. Even now it was nothing more than a minor skirmish to Ozpin.

Did it really matter?

She ate six meals half-heartedly and without tasting them before anyone else came to visit. She was half asleep and trying to keep her mind empty, trying not to think about what Dr. Cansado had said, when the door opened and Cardin walked in.

He gave her his usual arrogant smile and dropped into the chair next to her bed. "You still moping in here, kid?"

"You're dead." She informed him before closing her eyes.

"Nah, not here. You're obsessing over all the bad aspects to this situation. C'mon, let's get drunk and kill some Grimm. It'll be fun, just like it used to be but without having to worry about actually dying."

"You're not real." She said sharply.

"_Nothing_ is real anymore. Once you accept that we can make the best of that."

He had a point. Ozpin had her trapped in this coma and wasn't likely to let her out of it. That probably meant he had succeeded. Maybe Book really was working with him, maybe someone else let him in and he did this to keep her from fighting back. What if the others were in the same situation?

What if she died and this was the afterlife?

Frustrated tears welled up again and Cardin moved to sit on the bed beside her, wrapping her in a hug. "Come on, you don't have to suffer like this. You've been dealing with it for so long. Think about yourself for once, will you? Couldn't you have learned that _one thing_ from me? Sometimes you just have to be selfish for your own good. Keep this up and all you'll do is drive yourself insane. Let's go have some fun."

This just made her cry harder as she clung to the partner she had failed. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was time to be selfish.


	7. Chapter 7

Once she had made up her mind everything fell into place. She and Cardin took the elevator to the top floor and got out of the compound. He was as annoying as ever and she couldn't believe how happy she was about that. Over the next few months they hunted Grimm, ate fantastic food, laughed a lot, bickered more and everything just felt _right_. She avoided watching the news since it was mostly about the end of the resistance. Though she felt a bit guilty about that and despised the implant she had to allow… it was worth it.

The world really was at peace with Ozpin in charge. Everyone lived comfortably and had a sense of fulfilment as they were allowed to follow their interests. Of course the Grimm were always around and while Ozpin kept a few as 'pets', there were many still posing a threat to the people so there was never a shortage of work. She died a few times when she and Cardin got in over their heads but always woke back in the bedroom of the lovely little house she had bought.

Everything was wonderful until she heard a broadcast on someone's scroll while they were eating at a cafe. The leaders of the resistance were refusing to cooperate after their capture. They were to be executed as dangerous criminals. Immediately her only thought was rescuing them. She didn't know all the council members all that well but she liked them and she couldn't let him kill Yang and Glynda!

"You're not going to go after them, are you?" Cardin asked, frowning.

"I have to."

"No." He said sharply. "They made their choices just like you did. _You_ just made the _right_ choice."

"It was the _selfish_ choice, not the right one." She snapped, standing. "I don't care if this _is_ a dream, I can't just let Yang die like that."

"You realize you will fail." He said.

"Don't care." She left him at the table and made her way to the prison everyone was kept in. The guards recognized her the instant she was within sight and they were ready - but they were not trained hunters. She disabled rather than killed where possible as she fought her way through the building in search of the friends she had abandoned. The whole time a rational little voice in her head screamed at her that she was being stupid, they had nowhere to go if she freed them. All of them had implants and could be tracked easily. There was no way to free them, only delay the inevitable.

She ignored it, the guilt that had been quietly building up in the back of her mind had surged forward and taken over. Even if she failed, she had to try. By the time she got to the right floor of the right wing, every official knew what was going on and had prepared. She found herself surrounded by furious guards. As she fought her way through, she watched as they shot each of the captives through the bars. Her sister, Glynda, Jaune, Book…. one by one they died. Then the guns turned on her.

She woke in the harsh, mocking light of the medical lab, on the narrow hospital bed she thought she would never have to see again. It wasn't long before a doctor hurried in and began poking and prodding, taking her pulse, blood pressure and watching her eyes.

"How are you feeling, Ruby?" He asked cheerfully as he went through the checks, apparently satisfied with the results of each. "You've been unconscious for almost a week. Everyone's been worried."

She didn't bother responding. It didn't matter.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his smile fading. He didn't relax when she nodded. "I'll be back soon."

Would Cardin come again or had she messed up bad enough that he was lost forever? She curled up, pulling the thin blanket tight around her. She wanted to go back… she wanted that normal life, the one that _should_ have been. Her and Cardin killing Grimm and yelling at each other over petty disagreements. It had been so perfect.

"Ruby?" She closed her eyes as Yang entered the room. "Are you okay?"

"Where's Cardin?" She asked, unable to stop hoping.

"Oh, Ruby…." Her sister sighed and sat next to her. "He died a long time ago."

It meant nothing. He might still show up but Ruby didn't want to say that out loud and deal with the unpleasant conversation that would surely follow. "Uncle Qrow?"

"He's still at Signal." Yang said bitterly. "Ozpin blackmailed him or something and he refused to join the resistance."

"Yang…"

"Yeah?"

"Kill me."

"What?!"

"I hate the dreams where I wake up here. If you kill me I may wake up somewhere better."

"Are you insane?!"

"Even in my nightmares you're too nice to kill me." Ruby sighed, almost smiling as she looked over at her horrified sister. "It doesn't matter. I'll die soon enough… or kill everyone. Either way, I'll wake up again."

Yang backed toward the door looking as if she was about to cry. Ruby sighed as the door closed behind her. Of course Yang wouldn't help. She hated the dreams that didn't end when she acknowledged them. She'd probably be stuck here alone for a few days again.

Even though she woke up recently, she was exhausted and closed her eyes again. She knew she wasn't physically tired, it was all mental and emotional but that knowledge didn't change anything. Going through this again and again, having no choice but to face her own personal torments… she felt drained, hollow. She didn't want to go through it again.

"Ruby?" Book's voice pulled her out of the shallow sleep she had been floating in. She shrank away involuntarily, remembering that time in the elevator. That cruel smile...

"What?" She watched him warily. As usual, he looked worried. His ears were tilted back, his tail still. He was as good an actor as Ozpin…

"Yang said you may need to talk. You scared her pretty bad. What happened?"

"Same thing that always happens." She sighed. "I'm trapped in a nightmare and it's only a matter of time before things get worse. I hate this room…"

"This isn't a dream, Ruby." He said firmly. "You're awake."

"It never looks like a dream, never feels like one." She shrugged. "Someone always assures me I'm awake and then terrible things happen and I wake up again. I just want to skip that part and wake up again. I don't want to be here."

"What terrible things happen?" He asked gently as he sat in the chair beside her bed.

She shifted closer to the wall, deciding to tell him the truth. At best he would back off and at worst he would kill her so she could wake up. "Well, there was one time you admitted to working for Ozpin, said the trigger phrase and turned me loose in the Courtyard. It always seems to end with me killing people or someone killing me so… just… skip to the 'killing me' part so I don't kill anyone else."

Book watched her silently, his dark brown eyes filled with pain. "I would never do that…"

"I didn't think so, either. Just kill me so I can wake up again. I'm tired of these conversations."

He gave a small nod and quickly left the room. Ruby forced herself to relax and wait patiently. Some time later he returned, his expression carefully controlled. He held a syringe. "This won't hurt. You'll just go to sleep."

"I don't care if it hurts. I'm used to it." She shrugged.

He carefully injected her and held her hand as the liquid spread to bring a comfortable numbness into her awareness. "Please, Ruby… don't ask me to do this again."

She woke in her room but she wasn't alone. Yang, Sky, Dove, Jaune and Book were on the far side of the room talking quietly. Yang's eyes were red and puffy, she had been crying.

_Different…_ She sat up and frowned, unable to hear them. Had Ozpin finally gotten in? Had he killed someone Yang cared about? "What's going on?"

Five sets of eyes turned to her, all held varying degrees of worry and wariness. Book was the first to approach her. "Are you feeling better?"

She shrugged. "Depends on what's going on."

"We're almost ready to launch an attack." Jaune said as he joined Book nearer the bed. "Do you think you will be able to join us?"

Ruby shrugged again. "Probably not a good idea but it doesn't really matter, so sure."

"Why not a good idea?" He asked, frowning.

"Everything goes wrong." She answered, swinging around to stand and reach for Crescent Beacon. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow. I'll go over the plan with you after dinner. Until then you should spar with your sister and make sure you're ready for battle."

She nodded and started to walk toward Yang but Book caught her arm. "Ruby… I know you think this is a dream but please, treat it as if it is real, okay? Don't seek out death. We can win with you to help us."

She nodded. It wouldn't hurt to humor them. The closest she'd gotten to a real fight against Ozpin's forces was when she tried to save everyone from death. It would be interesting to see how far they got before she woke up.

Yang looked worried but they went to the training level to practice. By dinner she was exhausted and gladly ate, though she wasn't paying enough attention to notice what was on the plate. As soon as she was done Jaune took her back to the training room and led her to the shooting range.

"We have to test something before plans can be made concrete. Step into the booth and shoot only the pictures of enemies on the range, understand?"

She nodded and shifted Crescent Beacon to its gun form. When she entered the booth she heard the door lock behind her and as she looked to the range she heard a voice in her ear. "Hello, Red."

She clutched her weapon tighter as the fear rose up and took over her mind - she was looking down the alley but this time there were civilians cowering around Torchwicks' men - at the far end she saw him with a terrified hostage. Without hesitating, she took aim and started shooting.

"Don't."

She scowled at the condescending order. "Shut up, Cardin!"

The alley faded and she took a deep breath and put her weapon away. Cardin was dead… She scrubbed away a tear as the door unlocked and opened.

Jaune stepped in and hit a button to bring the targets closer. "Sorry about that, Ruby. I know it's an unpleasant experience but we had to know."

"Know what?" She scowled. He pointed and she looked at the targets. Half of them had holes in them, all uniformed men. The most tattered of them was a picture of Ozpin, the picture of Weiss beside him was unblemished.

"We weren't sure the reassociation would work. Now that we know it has we can go with the better of our plans. Come on, time to meet the assault team." Jaune smiled, leading her back to the elevator.


	8. Chapter 8

The plan looked suicidal. Ruby shrugged and agreed to it.

They would use sewers and access tunnels under the city to get close, swarm in with everyone they had and put Ruby in the lead. If they tried to turn her on her companions, she would just fight harder against Ozpin's people. There were a lot of unknowns when it came to Ozpin's headquarters. They knew there would be a lot of security and probably all well trained. It was all or nothing now. Kara Long would be staying behind, if anything went wrong she would be made president and do her best to keep the people safe.

Of course Ruby knew what would happen. Ozpin would be waiting, they would be trapped, forced to tell the location of the compound and the resistance would be over. She would have to watch as everyone was executed, then she would die and wake up to do it all over again. At least this time she would get to feel like she was doing some good.

After the meeting she trudged back to her room, pausing when Rose came running toward her as she passed through the common room. She smiled faintly as the little girl launched into the air, caught hold of her neck and hung there like a necklace, hugging her almost too tight for Ruby to breathe.

"I missed you, Miss Rubyrose!"

"I missed you, too." She said with as much conviction as she could muster. Play along… She reminded herself, trying not to think about Rose stabbing her again.

"Can you teach me about scythes tomorrow? Pleeeeeeease?" Rose asked, looking up at her with a bright, hopeful smile.

"When we get back from the mission, okay?" She forced herself to smile back.

"Yay! You promised! No more sleeping all the time!" She ordered as she dropped back to the ground and ran to tell her parents the good news.

Ruby sighed and turned back to her door and almost ran into Sky. He studied her with open concern. "Are you really sure about this?"

"Why not?" She shrugged. "It's something to do other than sit around here waiting for something to happen."

"Do you still think this is a dream?"

"Nightmare." She nodded, watching him warily. "Same as usual."

It was tiring trying to predict the direction things would go. It wouldn't surprise her if he turned on her now, spoke the trigger phrase or just outright killed her. It would be sort of a pity, she was looking forward to the siege. It was something new. A different way to die.

"What would convince you that you are actually awake? That this is real?" He asked.

"If I die and don't wake up again." She shrugged.

"You… sound like you're okay with that." His shoulders slumped ever so slightly and she actually felt bad when she saw the pained realization in his eyes.

She stepped around him and opened her door, knowing he would not believe any lie she had to offer to make him feel better. Ruby froze as she felt arms around her and Sky whispered. "Please, don't die. You have to survive this."

"I'll try." She said, wanting to mean it. How could she care so much about the feelings of an illusion? He let her go and she didn't turn around as his footsteps retreated, just stepped in to her room and closed the door.

It didn't matter. Tomorrow they would all die and she would wake up again.

She woke to knocking. A quick look around showed her apartment, a dubious relief. Dragging herself up from the bed she answered the door and Jaune smiled at her. "Time to get ready. We leave in four hours. Once you're prepared join us in the conference room. We're going to go over the strategies a couple more times to make sure everyone remembers what to do if things go wrong."

With a nod she closed the door. This would be the first time she'd faced Ozpin in a fight and she wasn't any more certain of what to expect than anyone else. Glynda was the only one who had actually seen him in a fight and had no idea whether he had kept practising over the years. The night before she had said it was best to assume he was still in top form which would make him very dangerous. She advised against a fair fight - this was more important than honor. No one seemed to have much of a problem with that.

She went to the closet to get her armor and smiled faintly. Her old set had been replaced. The new armor was heavier, red with black roses and vines etched into the surface. When she was about to put the chestplate on she noticed a mark on the inside, looking closer she realized it was a tiny but familiar symbol. Sky had made this for her.

Not sure what to think about that, she pushed it to the back of her mind and finished getting ready. With Crescent Beacon at her side, she headed out to get more information about backup plans. They hadn't discussed that much the night before.

Dove fell in step with her as she neared the elevator. He looked extremely grumpy.

"Where's Mezza?" She asked, frowning when his only response was a growl. "Not coming then?"

"Her staying is the only way to get Rose to stay. Neither of them are happy about it." He scowled.

"Should have let them come." Ruby shrugged.

"Are you _insane?_" He snapped. "Mezza can handle herself but I'm not going to risk Rose-"

"Who is a better fighter than you." She pointed out. "You're telling two highly skilled, headstrong women to stay home from an important battle. You might as well be prepared for some defiance. Maybe a few 'I told you so's, too."

"You're on their side?!" He snapped, pushing the button for the proper floor harder than necessary.

"I'm just being realistic." She shrugged.

"I'm not going to risk my daughter's life. If something goes wrong the people here will need someone to protect them. I don't want her fighting to survive unless she has to."

Since his bad mood didn't seem likely to lift any time soon, Ruby let it drop and they finished the ride in silence. The next few hours seemed to disappear in a heartbeat as everyone went over the plans, suggested ways things could go wrong and helped come up with solutions. Very little of it mattered to Ruby since almost every alternate plan involved her being dead.

Once everyone was prepared, Weiss led them to a hidden exit. A rail ran underground to the city - this was how the compound was kept a secret. It was impossible to just follow people to work. There were many hidden entrances to the tunnel from the far end, mostly false walls in buildings owned by the Schnee company or their most trusted friends at the time. A great many of them were seized by Ozpin but that didn't make much difference now. They would just have to move fast once they stepped out of hiding.

They were divided into teams, each team had one member trained to drive the railcars. Dove was driving theirs and once he was situated, seven more people piled in. Ruby sat in the floor at the back, she would be the first to exit. Sky, Nora and Jaune sat on the long bench on one side. Across from them were Glynda, Yang and Sun. Her sister was holding the faunus' hand and his tail was coiled around her leg. When Yang saw her notice, she winked.

Each person was tense, lost in their own world as they prepared for what was about to happen. All of them hoped for the best but prepared for the worst. For Ruby, the certainty that Ozpin's men would meet them as soon as the car stopped dragged her further into hopelessness. Everything was going to go wrong… the resistance was doomed.

A cookie appeared in front of her and she blinked, looking from it to Sky. He gave her a small smile. "For luck."

Once she took it he passed some out to the others. Ruby looked at the chocolate chips and felt the first real smile she could remember. She clung to the little scrap of happiness as she enjoyed the wonderful, sweet treat.

When the sense of motion stopped she tensed and prepared for the inevitable. The door slid open and she hopped out with Crescent Beacon ready… but the dark tunnel was empty. The unexpected luck was more unnerving than reassuring. It didn't make sense.

"This isn't a dream, Ruby." Yang said softly, wrapping an arm around her. "Expectations don't shape reality."

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

"That's the only reason for you to look confused right now." Yang said with a forced smile. "Come on, we have to put an end to this so I can properly introduce you to Sun."

She nodded and led the way down a nearby offshoot. The narrow path was dimly lit by lines of dust embedded in the stone - it was just enough to see by. She followed the instructions Weiss gave them, passing a number of other offshoots in what turned out to be virtually catacombs before turning down the one she indicated. None of them were labeled in a conventional manner. Some had symbols or small marks but no names to identify where they went.

They came to a set of stairs that ended with a door. They were given the 'key', a small card that would react to the hidden dust and unlock the panel. It would be a section of wall in a disused hallway of an apartment complex. They would only have to make it two blocks to reach the building Ozpin would be in.

Dove monitored a scroll, sending a message to the other teams and waiting for confirmation that they were all in place. It wasn't a long wait. Word was given and they pulled the door open and rushed through. Ruby kept at the front but didn't use her semblance - she had to stay close enough to help if they got attacked, close enough for them to make her stop if she lost control.

They stayed low and as much out of sight as possible but they were still a block away before they heard someone shout an alarm. Yang cursed as they saw guards congregating further down the road – one of the other teams were spotted. They had been instructed to ignore it and make use of the distraction and get in the building – no saving other teams.

The sounds of fighting followed them as they pushed through the main doors. There were already people rushing toward them in response to the alarm outside. Ruby charged in without hesitation and quickly cleared the hallway. They took the stairs – Ozpin would be in his office on the fifth floor. By the time they reached the second floor landing there were people both above and below firing at them, those nearer were trying their best to counter Crescent Beacon but having very little luck.

They were halfway to the third floor when there was a pause in the attack and a voice echoed down. "Hello, Red!"

Ruby stumbled to a stop as the terror became overwhelming and she stood on a fire escape in the alley.

"He's on the fifth floor!" She heard Yang call out behind her. "Go!"

Her confusion faded and she looked up at Torchwick's men above her and rage rose up to match the fear. Yang... they were going to kill Yang this time. He had to be stopped. She charged forward, using her semblance to clear away the danger before any of them could hurt her sister.

"Don't." A voice said in her ear.

"Don't **what?!**" She snarled and slowed to a stop, shaking. She glanced behind her and felt sick, the walls were splattered with blood as far down as she could see. Bodies and limbs were scattered along the edges of the stairs.

"Stop looking, we have to keep moving." Jaune said, moving to block her view. She nodded and turned back to the door with the large 5 painted on it. Almost there.

The guards in the hall stared at her in shock as she kicked the door open and made her way toward them. One began stumbling away from her, not taking his eyes off the scythe. "It didn't work? She killed them?"

"Call for backup." The other ordered, preparing to face Ruby.

"We're already here." A cheerful little voice said from the door of the stairwell on the far side.

"_DAMN IT, MEZZA!_" Dove roared, glaring at the unrepentant woman in blue armor. Ruby wasn't sure how to feel - this was where it would go wrong… but Rose was adorable in that armor. It looked exactly like Ruby's but blue instead of red.

"Dove, stay out here with them and stay focused." Jaune ordered.

"How could you let them do this?" He snarled.

"Your wife doesn't make empty threats and I really do want kids of my own some day. We have few fighters who can stand against your daughter and nothing is more dangerous than a mother protecting her child. I'm more worried about your safety than theirs.

Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Neptune took Dove's place, they left the guard team in the hall and opened the door to the office, prepared for a trap.

"You're late." Ozpin said from his desk. He looked up from paperwork, picked up his coffee and leaned back in his chair. There was a guard on each side of the desk, their dust imbued armor glowing. None of them seemed concerned.

"Just had to fix a few problems." Jaune said calmly.

"You missed one." Ozpin smirked. "Ruby Rose, kill a traitor."

Her head pounded and everything became clear. She spun and Crescent Beacon slashed through the armor of one of the people behind her. She heard a hammer fall to the ground as she walked toward Ozpin. A guard side-stepped and she took her place beside him, looking back at the shocked faces of those who fought against inevitability. How had she believed in their empty daydreams?

"You see," Ozpin said with an easy smile. "You have no hope of success. Surrender now and your people will all survive. Ms. Schnee, I know how hard you have worked to keep those loyal to you safe and I admire your resolve but it is misplaced. Let us bring them all back here and you will live in peace. No more fighting, no more fear."

"Never!" She shouted.

"Ruby, kill her." Ozpin said indifferently.

She stepped forward but so did Sky. "Don't."

There was only a moment's pause as obedient thoughts fell away and Ozpin laughed. "Do you think you can _reason_ with her? Kill him, too."

Ruby spun, Crescent Roses' blade sank to the hilt in the chest of the man who destroyed her world.

"Wh-what?" His wide eyes focused on Ruby as she pulled the blade out and prepared for another attack. The two guards leaped into motion but her team was already fighting them back.

One more swing and his head fell to the desk, his shock and the dawning fear still frozen in his expression. She was still staring at the lifeless eyes when the sound of battle fell silent around her. Glynda pulled the chair away from the desk and set to work informing the world that there was no longer an Overlord.

Ruby kept waiting for something to change, the head to come back to life, his ghost to appear… When would she wake up? The terrible thing had happened but she didn't wake up. She looked up at Nora's body, Sky knelt beside her and mourned silently. Ozpin was gone but nothing was happening… it didn't make sense.

"It's not a dream, Ruby." Jaune said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You aren't going to wake up. He's gone."

"I should go." She whispered. "All I can do now is hurt people. Even if he's gone there are other triggers. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to believe this world is real and seeing what that does to everyone is… I should go."

"Not yet." Glynda said from her place at the desk while she was tapping commands into Ozpin's computer. "We can isolate you if you wish but we cannot let you go anywhere yet."

Ruby nodded and Jaune took her to a sitting room adjoining the office.

"Are you okay?" He asked, sitting beside her.

She shook her head and fought back tears. "I'm an insane murderer, how am I supposed to be _okay?_"

"It'll be alright." He said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "We'll figure something out."

It wasn't long before Jaune was called away and Ruby was alone. She thought about going out the window and just disappearing but then she remembered Rose. You promised!

She sighed and sat back on the couch. Maybe it wasn't a dream… chances are everything would be fine for a while then she would wake up back in the compound. If this was real, though… she wanted to keep her promise to Rose.

Ruby spent the next hour staring out the window, watching the sun fall toward the horizon. It had been a long time since she had just enjoyed watching shadows move along the ground. Finally the door opened and Glynda entered with a portly little man who slumped as if he had the weight of the world resting on him.

"Ruby, please have a seat." She said, pulling two chairs close together. Out of habit she obeyed the command from her old professor and sat in one of the chairs.

"I'm so sorry…. so, so sorry…" The older man said weakly. "Please understand, he gave me no choice. I didn't want to do it… I'm so sorry…"

She had no chance to reply before her mind emptied and everything went dark.

Ruby woke in an unfamiliar room, light made the cheerful yellow curtains on the windows glow. When she wondered where she was memories began to return, sometimes creeping slowly into her awareness, other times crashing down as if trying to drown her. Ozpin was dead. He had tried to drive her insane, he had tried to make her kill everyone she cared about and now he was dead.

"Are you feeling better?" Book asked. She jumped, his chair was set back behind her pillow and she hadn't noticed him. She nodded and he smiled. "Good. I was worried Glynda wouldn't be able to find the one who tampered with your mind but once she got in to Ozpin's computer she tracked him down."

"No more nightmares?" She asked, almost willing to hope.

"No _unnatural_ nightmares. You've been through a lot and I can't promise only good dreams, but what you went through won't happen again." He stood and moved to sit at the foot of the bed. "Mr. Gild asked me to convey his deepest apologies. He's been tormented by the knowledge of what he's done - you weren't the only one to have something done. Glynda is taking him to see all the others and fix whatever he was forced to do."

"So he gave me the nightmares as well as the trigger words?" She sighed, genuinely happy to hear that.

"Yes, he said Ozpin told him to make sure the nightmares would begin within two days of the first use of a trigger word, while you were still upset by what happened."

She nodded, wishing she could kill Ozpin again.

"He also said that it would have been impossible for you to wake up if you hadn't surrendered at least once." Book said softly. "I can only imagine how terrible it must have been to drive you to that… but under the circumstances, I'm glad you did."

She felt her face burning, embarrassed that anyone would know about her lapse. It still hurt to know that her conviction hadn't been as absolute as she had hoped.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else. Come out when you are ready." He patted her leg when she smiled and let himself out.

It was over. She was awake. It still felt like a dream. She was lost in thought, letting tears flow unabated as she thought about the terrible things she had done, and gasped when someone touched her shoulder. She looked up at Sky and quickly looked away again. How could he stand to be in the same room with her?

"I'm sorry…" She managed, the weak words seemed meaningless. She had killed the woman he loved.

"So am I." He said as he turned her head and kissed her. "I know you don't care about me. Not in the same way. I've never said anything before and I won't bring it up again. Just please, don't blame yourself. I need you to understand I don't blame you. You were not in control and it could have been any of us. I loved Nora and I'll miss her… but she never held the place in my heart I will always have for you."

She watched him walk out of the room, too shocked to move or speak. Sky?

Ruby blinked at the door, feeling like she was back in one of those dreams. Had that really happened?

Her mind turned back to their time together and she realized that he had always been the nicest, the most supportive, the most upset when she was upset even though he had tried to hide it. She had been so distracted by Cardin, Torchwick and Ozpin she simply hadn't realized the obvious. Ruby climbed out of bed, put on her armor, smiled at the little symbol she now realized would rest over her heart, and went out to join the others.

She was alive, she was awake, and she was going to give Sky _so many cookies!_


End file.
